Speaker:  Dena Jansen
Professional interactions can quickly become personal, making it essential to navigate ruptures with emotional resilience. By focusing on self-regulation and relational repair, we can better anchor ourselves in challenging situations. Join Dena Jansen for an interactive session on mastering emotional resilience through the Get a G.R.I.P. framework. In this guided growth conversation, you’ll develop effective strategies for pausing and reflecting when faced with difficulties. You’ll leave equipped with actionable tools to enhance your emotional resilience and cultivate a positive mindset, empowering you to handle everyday stressors and significant life changes. Together, we can work to disagree better and learn the art of emotional resilience by discovering how to get a G.R.I.P.! 

Speaker:  Ian Clark-Johnson
Following the George Floyd murder, demands for alternatives to policing grew louder in Black and Brown communities. Our session explores Urban Alchemy’s alternative-to-policing model, HEART, which deploys our team, mostly formerly incarcerated individuals, to handle nonviolent situations involving homelessness, addiction, and mental health crises. It also details Urban Alchemy’s Community-Based Public Safety project in Central East Austin, a 3-year grant from the Department of Justice to reduce crime through trauma-informed community outreach rather than over-policing. This approach, proven in both California and Austin, diverts non-emergency calls from police to our compassionate, unarmed team trained in crisis intervention. They work to de-escalate situations safely while empowering marginalized individuals. These projects aim to create a replicable model that strengthens community resilience, reduces crime, and fosters greater trust in public safety systems.

Speakers:  Dr. Saamiya Seraj & Dr. Sarah Seraj
From disasters accelerated by climate change to multiple genocides across the world to hate crimes on the rise, society as we know it is about to change. The old ways of leadership where we focused on meritocracy, individualism, and competition cannot help us. We need to reimagine our collective liberation in bold and innovative ways to come out of this crisis. In our workshop, we will first present our audience with research that illustrates why we cannot thrive in systems that have oppression in its roots, and how that affects our well-being. From there, we will explore how our liberation is connected across the globe and why we have to center the most marginalized voices in our solutions. Finally, we will end with strategies to divest from harmful models and foster a community over competition mindset that allows innovative, community centered solutions to flourish and create a brighter future.

Moderator:  JC Dwyer; Panelists:  Frances Leigh Jordan, Kaiba White, Mose Buchele
When Central Texans vote to approve municipal bond funding, the proposed investment has already been crafted through a lengthy process of community engagement and the deliberation of City staff and elected officials. In 2024, Austin City Council created the 2026 Bond Advisory Task Force to maximize community involvement in the process of developing our next bond package, with a central focus on mitigating and adapting our community to climate change. Learn about this process and what it has yielded (so far) with a panel of task force members, then provide your thoughts on our region’s climate future to help them shape their recommendations.

Speakers: Alex Cantu (Hispanic Impact Fund), Aaron DeLaO & Amy Price (United Way for Greater Austin), Chris Nieto (Leadership Austin)
Join us for an inspiring session with three stories of community-centered leadership featuring organizations driving meaningful change in Central Texas. United Way will showcase its collaborative initiatives addressing economic mobility and education. The Hispanic Impact Fund will discuss its role in advancing Latino-led solutions to build equitable opportunities. Leadership Austin will highlight how developing courageous leaders strengthens civic and community engagement.

This session will explore how leaders can activate networks, leverage resources, and foster cross-sector partnerships to create sustainable impact. Attendees will leave with actionable pathways to elevate their leadership in service of community well-being.

Speakers:

• United Way – Driving economic and educational equity

• Hispanic Impact Fund – Investing in Latino-led impact

• Leadership Austin – Cultivating courageous leadership

Speakers:  Fran Baylor & Regan Gruber Moffitt, Meagan Longely, Yvette Ruiz
The economy in Austin is booming, but not for everyone. Come to this interactive session to explore how the Central Texas chapter of the Asset Funders Network is deploying philanthropy to address barriers and unlock opportunities for economic mobility for households in our region. We will first ground ourselves in the data and frameworks for how economic mobility impacts every aspect of people’s lives, from housing to employment, childcare access and more. Using Asset Funders Network’s current initiatives to address economic mobility and equitable access to prosperity building as an example, we will engage in discussions about the types of systemic changes and initiatives attendees would like to see to ensure everyone in Central Texas can be a part of Austin’s growth.

Speaker:  Eric Hepburn
They say deep learning ends in paradox. That our capacity to hold these paradoxes might be an indicator of our maturity, our wisdom. This session will hold the tension between some of our most challenging paradoxes: our incredible uniqueness & our overwhelming sameness, our yearning for growth and maturation & the inevitability of getting stuck, our longing for belonging & our yearning for independence... Among these tensions we'll explore some ways that we differ in how we see the world, our default tendencies for making decisions, and our propensity to discount the perspectives of those who see differently. We’ll also explore some disciplines, some practices, that can aid us in recognizing the limitations of our default mode, in shifting into other modes when it is helpful, and in developing appreciation for those in our lives who see differently. In fact, in recognizing our need for them and our mutual need for each other.

Speaker:  Dr. Lynn Green
As the landscape of leadership continues to evolve, this session will explore how leaders can adapt to emerging challenges by prioritizing community engagement and collaboration. Participants will engage in transformative discussions and practical strategies for redefining leadership in service of community well-being. Together, we will envision a future where leadership is rooted in community values, creating pathways for collaborative growth, sustainable change, and shared empowerment. 

This workshop is ideal for current or emerging leaders in nonprofit and community-based organizations who are passionate about fostering inclusive, forward-thinking approaches. Whether from education, public service, social work, or entrepreneurship, participants will bring diverse perspectives to the conversation, collectively exploring how to cultivate leadership that is adaptable, collaborative, and driven by community-centered principles. 

The future of leadership is community-driven. Join me in shaping a leadership model that prioritizes collaboration, diversity, and empowerment in an increasingly interconnected world.

Speaker:  Lyric Wardlow
From the Inside Out: Understanding Homelessness, is an immersive experience designed to explore the complexities of homelessness. This hands-on session invites participants to engage with interactive nesting dolls, each representing different vulnerabilities contributing to homelessness, such as economic instability, mental health issues, and family conflict. Through guided discussions and collaborative painting, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of homelessness while sharing perspectives and insights. Led by Lyric Wardlow, a passionate advocate with lived experience, this transformative session aims to inspire empathy and actionable solutions for a brighter future for those affected by homelessness.

Speaker:  Mary Dunn
Conflict plays a vital role in teams and organizations. While it often leads to innovation and creativity, it can reduce trust, unity, and belonging when it becomes personal. This activity introduces participants to conflict management styles and the dual concern model. It develops attendees’ abilities to assess situations, select appropriate strategies to resolve conflict, and consider the effects of conflict resolution on the team/organization. Through a series of activities and mini-cases, participants will discover their preferred conflict management styles, see how they differ from others, and learn how to match appropriate responses with situations. No single style is effective in all situations, so participants must learn how to assess a situation, deploy an appropriate strategic response, and consider the effects to the collective in terms of their future relationships and unity.

Speaker:  Sol Bautista
In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to foster belonging, unity, and consensus is more crucial than ever. This session will explore the essential elements of effective leadership in creating inclusive and harmonious environments. We will delve into the significance of diplomacy, negotiation, and understanding diverse perspectives. Attendees will gain valuable insights into building strong teams, resolving conflicts, and inspiring others to work towards common goals. By cultivating a culture of belonging and unity, leaders can create a more positive and productive environment for everyone involved.

Moderator: Cybil Guess; Panelists:  Harpreet Singh, Julian Huerta, Megan Etz
There’s a perception that the abundance of wealth that has moved to or been developed in Central Texas over the past several decades doesn’t match an increased tendency towards generosity like other metropolitan areas of similar size. There is also the documented reality that growing prosperity has widened the opportunity gap, favoring some while further disenfranchising others.  In this complicated moment for our region, what is philanthropy’s role in ensuring we have a thriving community to call home?  

We’ll delve into how collective giving and strategic public partnerships can ignite meaningful change. Through a case study of ACF’s Housing Accelerator Loan Fund, we’ll illustrate how collaboration can turn financial resources into real impact.  

Join us to discover how we can inspire a culture of generosity and work together to transform our community through philanthropy! 

Moderator: Ira Williams; Panelists:  Ami Kane, Ashika  G Raval, Jesse Simmons, Sunjit Khamba, Tavia Williams
Starting with a panel discussion, we will moderate a conversation with a group of nonprofit leaders, consultants, and funders who have practical experience in co-designing with communities, providing insights on challenges and achievements from multiple perspectives. After the panel discussion, we will proceed to an interactive story-sharing exercise with session attendees, where they will be invited to share their own lived experiences with co-design. As stories are being shared, our in-house artist will visually depict the shared lessons on a mural to illustrate co-design in action, while also creating a tangible take-away for session attendees. Participants will leave with actionable insights on how to involve communities in decision-making, foster trust, and balance power dynamics for greater impact in their own work.

Speaker:  Rev. Carrie Graham
Are you wondering how to build peace in our polarized communities? Are you struggling with how to navigate the potentially divisive interpersonal dynamics in your life? This Navigating Divisive Conversations workshop is for anyone grappling with how to be a bridge-builder in their life. The essential tools learned in this workshop can be applied wherever one has relationships: work, the classroom, family, friendships, etc. 

In this workshop, Rev. Carrie Graham will contextualize participants’ questions and hopes for navigating divisive conversations with the tools she has gained from 17 years of dialogue facilitation experience. We will focus on essential building blocks of adaptable dialogue dynamics to apply both before and during a potentially divisive interaction.

Please come as you are. Graham’s style is informal. She hopes to offer participants concrete tools to build hope and confidence in your daily peace building work, both in your life and in your service to our community.

Meet up with influential Asian leaders in Central Texas! Join Leadership Austin alumni and members of the inaugural Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce Leadership Accelerator cohort.

At this meetup, you will have an opportunity to connect with successful CEOs and a dozen dynamic community and business leaders including Ali Khataw, Minh Tran, Mark Duval, Jill Goodman, Shahreen Abedin, Rashed Islam, Jessica Scanlon, Nhat Ho, Kurian Panicker, Niki Chen, Hussain Hashim, Sammy Lam and Shenghao Wang.

This meetup is open to all conference attendees.