Speakers

Keynote Speaker

Congressman Jamie Raskin proudly represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rep. Raskin was chosen by the Democratic Caucus to be the Ranking Member of the House Committee on the Judiciary in the 119th Congress. In the 118th Congress, he served as Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability. During his prior terms in Congress, Rep. Raskin also served on the Committee on House Administration, the Rules Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. Rep. Raskin was appointed as the lead impeachment manager in the second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump in 2021 and later served on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. Prior to his service in Congress, Rep. Raskin was a three-term State Senator in Maryland, where he also served as the Senate Majority Whip. He was also a professor of constitutional law at American University’s Washington College of Law for more than 25 years. He has authored several books, including the Washington Post best-seller Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court versus the American People, the highly acclaimed We the Students: Supreme Court Cases for and About America’s Students, and the New York Times #1 best-seller Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth and the Trials of American Democracy. 

Strengthening Your Fundraising Machine: Diversifying Revenue & Maintaining What Matters

Fundraising resilience doesn’t come from chasing every opportunity. It comes from building a strong, well-maintained and aligned system that you can adapt over time. In this workshop, nonprofit leaders will explore fundraising as a machine made up of interconnected parts that require ongoing care, investment, and adjustment. Participants will focus on diversifying funding streams, identifying which parts of their fundraising machine are working well (and which are not), and learning how organizations successfully strengthen weak areas. 

Wendie Veloz is a social impact strategist, coach, and consultant with over a decade of experience in the field. She has a passion for helping organizations and individuals make a positive impact in their communities and the world. Wendie brings a unique perspective to her work with a background in government funding, nonprofit management, and social entrepreneurship. Wendie’s expertise helps small business and nonprofit clients develop and implement sustainable strategies for social change. 

Wendie also uses her skills as a reiki and sound healer to help social entrepreneurs break mindset barriers and change the world. Wendie is the creator and co-host of the Social Impact Level Up podcast building synergy and impact between nonprofits, businesses, and communities.

Wendie holds a Master's Degree in Social Work Policy from Columbia University and a Bachelor's of Psychology from the University of California, Irvine. 

Building Award Resilience: Navigating County Contracts, Compliance & Grants for Compliance & Risk

If a federal, State, or County auditor comes asking questions, will you be ready? With increasing social needs, more limited federal resources, but more federal oversight, national scandals on the misuse of public funds, and declining local revenue growth, taxpayers are demanding that their dollars be used with accountability and can demonstrate impact.  This presentation will provide you with information to understand the difference between a Montgomery County Grant and a Montgomery County Contract, as well as their different compliance requirements and risk considerations. 

Rafael began his grants career more than 20 years ago as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Turkmenistan, training local leaders to secure and manage federal funding. He later served as a Presidential Management Fellow with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and spent six years as Country Director of the largest nonprofit in Turkmenistan. His work has consistently focused on the intersection of strategic planning, budgeting, and performance management across roles in federal government, American University, and the Montgomery County Office of Management and Budget.

Over the past three years, Rafael has built the new Office of Grants Management (OGM) within Montgomery County, Maryland government. OGM works to expand programs without raising taxes by increasing external funding while also strengthening equitable, competitive grantmaking for community partners.

Rafael holds a Master of Public Affairs from the Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, a Graduate Certificate in Game Design from American University, and a BA from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire. He lives in Rockville with his wife and two daughters.

Mark Hodge is the Chief Operating Officer in the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (MCDHHS). He began his career with MCDHHS almost 25 years ago as a School Community Health Nurse. Since then, Mark has held a variety of positions including Nurse Manager for School Based Health and Wellness Centers, and Nurse Administrator in the School Health, Immunization and Refugee Health, and Tuberculosis Control programs. The next advance was as the Senior Administrator for Public Health Policy and Legislation. In this position, he was the Public Health lead for implementing the Electronic Health Record as well working with a team defining, designing, and implementing a department wide Enterprise Integrated Case Management system that allows for more coordinated care across all services areas in MCDHHS. Following this he was promoted to Deputy Public Health Officer, then Deputy Chief Operating Officer, and then a short stint as the Senior Administrator for School Health Services. Now the Chief Operating Officer, Mark oversees the Department’s administrative functions including a $547M budget, Audits and Compliance, Facilities, Fiscal Accounts Payable and Receivable, Data and Customer Service, IT, Contract Management, Human Resources and Labor Relations, and Medical Billing and Credentialing. Mark has a Master of Science degree in Health Care Administration and Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing and Sociology.

Staying True Under Pressure: Mission-Aligned Strategy & Decision-Making

What does it take to ensure strategy and decision-making are aligned with your values and mission? Getting everyone on the same page when it comes to strategy and mission outcomes can be a challenge, especially in times of crisis and external uncertainty. This session introduces The Integrity Profile as a tool for developing a shared understanding of an organization's critical decision and strategy criteria AND then capturing those ideas in a clear and accessible resources for everyone involved with the organization to use in developing strategy and assessing organizational effectiveness.

Justin Pollock, founder of Orgforward, a consultancy that partners with community benefit agents and capacity builders to develop leadership and strategies that create communities where equity, dignity, engagement, and a healthy environment exist for everyone.

Through the Storm: Leading with Your Values When Leadership Gets Hard

Nonprofit leaders are increasingly navigating criticism, resistance, public scrutiny, funding pressures, and mission-related pushback. In these moments, leadership is tested — not just operationally, but ethically and emotionally.

Through the Storm is a dynamic 45-minute leadership workshop designed to help nonprofit professionals anchor themselves in their core values, lead with clarity during challenging seasons, and protect both their mission and their well-being. Grounded in real-world leadership experience, this session equips leaders with practical tools to remain steady, principled, and strategic when facing adversity.

Participants will leave with a stronger leadership compass, a framework for values-based decision-making, and strategies to lead courageously without burning out.

Tiffany Turner-Allen is the Executive Director of Nonprofit Prince George’s County, where she leads nonprofit advocacy, collaboration, and capacity-building efforts across the county. With over 20 years of experience spanning public health, media, and social justice, she brings deep expertise in race equity, trauma-informed care, and violence prevention in Black communities. Tiffany is also the founder of Blacktivism: The Collective and a nationally recognized advocate committed to advancing equity and community well-being.

Unlocking Financial Sustainability for Nonprofits

The concept of earned value is reshaping the nonprofit landscape. By emphasizing measurable outcomes, organizations can demonstrate their impact in tangible ways that attract financial support. This workshop provides participants with strategies to unlock and leverage the value of their efforts, ensuring a balance between social mission and financial viability. 

J. Howard "Jim" Kucher, DPA, MBA is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies, where he directs the Graduate Certificate in Social Entrepreneurship .  An award-winning teacher and internationally recognized thought leader, he is the author of over a dozen books and articles on Social Entrepreneurship and has assisted over 100 area nonprofits and social enterprises in developing new models for meeting the needs of their constituents while increasing the sustainability of their organizations.  Kucher earned a Doctorate in Public Administration with a concentration in Social Entrepreneurship, as well as an MBA with a Marketing & Entrepreneurship specialization from The University of Baltimore. He holds a B.A. from Kean University and has also earned certification as a project management professional and a new product development professional. He has been recognized as a Baltimore Renaissance Seed Scholar, an Unsung Hero of Small Business, and a Fulbright Specialist Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship.  His current research explores the field of Economic Theology and its practical application in faith based social enterprise.