ELEVATE Annual Conference

Nancy Bacon

Teacher, Instructional Designer, and Learning Strategist

Nancy Bacon Consulting LLC

Nancy Bacon is the architect behind three learning programs, most recently that of Washington's nonprofit state association, Washington Nonprofits. She is a teacher, instructional designer, and program strategist. She has led the teams responsible for learning and membership in two organizations. She has advised several associations in their learning strategy development. Nancy has been a speaker with the National Council of Nonprofits, Association Trends, Leading Learning Virtual Conference, and many venues within Washington State. She writes about issues related to nonprofits and learning on her website: www.nancybacon.com.

Randy Brinson

Senior Strategist & Practice Lead, Board & Executive Leadership Development

Third Sector Company, Inc

Randy Brinson is Third Sector Company's Senior Strategist for Board and Executive Leadership Development. Certified in nonprofit board consulting and leadership succession planning, Randy is a trusted partner in chief executive searches and leads governance trainings, board retreats and strategic planning activities. He also has interim leadership experience and is passionate about helping organizations build capacity to better serve their missions. 

Mary Byers, CAE, CSP

Speaker, Facilitator, Consultant & Author

Mary Byers, CAE, is co-author of Race for Relevance: Five Radical Changes for Associations, and Road to Relevance: 5 Strategies for Competitive Associations. She’s the former Director of Communications & Member Services for the Illinois State Dental Society. She served in that capacity for nine years prior to starting her consulting business in 1998.

Mary specializes in working with volunteer association leaders and chief staff executives to help define their roles and clarify their vision through leadership conference programming, facilitating strategic planning retreats, and coaching.

Mary is a Certified Association Executive, a Certified Virtual Presenter, and a member of the National Speakers Association. She is also the author of seven books.

John Clese

Director of New Business Development

Achurch Consulting

John is the leader of Virtual Workforce Consulting services for Achurch. He works with businesses and associations by assessing and evaluating their needs, matching them with the appropriate services, educating and training them through to the implementation of services and beyond. John helped create and co-presents the Virtual Workforce Consulting curriculum for Achurch Consulting. He has led the transition to remote teams for more than a decade and is passionate about coaching companies on how to successfully manage a remote workforce.

John comes to virtual workforce design via his technical expertise. He has experience in SaaS product development for both the non-profit charitable sector and association marketplace. While working with Abila (now Community Brands), he worked with software developers to create the A-Score™, a proprietary member and donor scoring for the company’s AMS (netForum). In addition, he has worked on multiple annual fundraising campaigns as a consultant to major charities and led a $12 million capital campaign as an organization executive for the YMCA.

John earned his B.A. in Political Science from Boston College and currently lives in West Michigan. He is an avid cook, landscape designer, and cyclist.

Michael Daoud

Founder & CEO

Visus LLC

Michael leads an innovative software development company with a reputation for delivering successful projects. Michael's technical skills are complemented by his business skills and years of experience. He is a graduate of UCSB and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree with Honors in Electrical Engineering. Michael is also a graduate of UCLA’s Anderson School of Management where he completed the Management Development for Entrepreneurs program. Michael has served on several non-profit boards including the MIT Enterprise Forum's Board of Directors in Santa Barbara.

Julie Davis

Director of Marketing

Achurch Consulting

Julie is a results-oriented marketing professional with over 20 years of diversi?ed experience. Having earned a B.A. in Industrial/Business Psychology from Marymount University and an M.A. in Adult Learning/Organizational Development from George Washington University grounds her approach to marketing and engagement as one that considers the target audience ?rst in every strategy considered and content created.

She started her career working in meeting planning with the Health Industry Distributors Association and then shifted gears engaging in recruitment and training before working for the Printing Industry of America as their Human Relations Manager. Julie then worked as an independent consultant doing technical writing, creating web content, grants, RFPs, and more.

Julie’s passion for service combined with her professional experience when she worked for The Arc Maryland as their Manager of Chapter Outreach. From there, Julie worked for over ?ve years with Altai Systems, an AMS provider, as their Director of Marketing & Senior Content Creator prior to coming to Achurch.

Megan Denhardt, CAE, DES

Founder & CEO

Denhardt Productions

Megan Denhardt, CAE, loves organizing, designing, and delivering conferences and events of different shapes and sizes. In her 15+ years of experience, she has learned the secret to successful events is to delight and surprise attendees with new formats, myriad delivery methods, meaningful engagement tactics, and energy bursts. Her dedication to creating exceptional and memorable experiences for her clients is what sets her apart. She guides organizations in delivering meaningful educational content, implementing unique conferences and events, and designing quality programs that keep attendees engaged. Megan stays abreast of industry trends and as such can recommend the right fit for clients that will deliver relevant and actionable content that engages attendees and fosters relationship building – and make lasting memories to convert that first-time attendee into a life-long one. Megan speaks and facilitates educational programming in the association space for organizations like CalSAE, ASAE, Association Trends, AssociationSuccess.org, MC Live, and CESSE, just to name a few. Megan’s enormous energy and enthusiasm for creating and delivering quality event experiences in unique and meaningful ways to keep her passion for this work alive and kicking.

Megan is a proud mama to Jake and Sydney (ages ten and eight) who keep her on her toes and have taught her how big one's heart can grow, and happy wife of nearly 15 years to her college sweetheart. You can find Megan running around the Bay, spending time with friends and family, and seeking her next adventure.

Steven Garner, PMP, CAE

Certification Manager

CA-NV AWWA

Steven is a driven dreamer who takes action to bring vision into reality. He's a mature businessperson with multiple career experiences across a range of industries and has served since 2014 as the Certification Manager for the California-Nevada section of the American Water Works Association (AWWA). Steven leads a multi-association initiative to establish international recognition of water industry credentials. Steven is a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence, a peer reviewer of credentialing white papers and a Certified Credentialing Specialist.

Bob Green, CPA,CITP, CGMA

Partner

SingerLewak Business Informatics

Bob specializes in strategic technology and digital transformation planning. He and his SL Business Informatics team guide businesses in through multi-disciplined systems-centered projects – involving technology, finance, change management, operations, and other skills. The team has extensive experience of a product-agnostic nature in many software categories (ERP, CRM, AMS, others), operations and finance in public, non-public and not-for-profit organizations and industries. Bob also manages SingerLewak’s IT Assurance function, responsible for SOC and SOX audit, and consultative work – as well as our outsourced IT leadership and advisory for growing businesses. Bob’s background enables him to be uniquely qualified to guide the C-Suite and their direct reports on digital transformation and other areas in his purview. His career commenced with earning his CPA certificate during seven years at Price Waterhouse, followed by serving as a CFO for six years — during which he developed his passion for the value of information systems to a growing business.

Kathy Gruver, PhD

Speaker, Author, Coach

KathyGruver.com

Kathy Gruver, PhD has graced stages on four continents (including two TEDx), three cruise ships, and a handful of islands. She hosted the TV show based on her first book, The Alternative Medicine Cabinet, and has earned her PhD in Natural Health. Dr. Gruver is the twelve-time award-winning author of seven books including, Conquer Your Stress, Workplace Wellness, Conquer your Stress at Work, and Journey of Healing. She has studied mind/body medicine at the famed Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard. She has been featured as an expert in numerous publications and has appeared on over 250 radio and TV shows. Gruver is a coach, hypnotherapist, and is also the co-host of the new Fire & Earth Podcast. For fun and stress relief, Gruver does flying trapeze and plays Dungeons & Dragons.

Kecia Hanson

Trainer & HR Field Rep

CA Employers Association

Kecia began her professional career working for Hyatt hotels in Human Resources. She has taught bilingual first grade, and English as a second language (ESL) at the University of California Irvine, as well as Rancho Santiago College. Kecia spent several years working as a Regional Customer Service Manager & Trainer in the retail industry, before joining CEA.

Kecia has a BA in Spanish from the University of Montana, a TESOL certificate, and a Human Resources Management Certificate from the University of California, Irvine.

Jan Horton Spence, CSP

International Speaker, Trainer & Consultant

Jan Spence & Associates

Jan Spence is a Certified Speaking Professional, author, and consultant. With contagious charisma and a zest for life, which makes her an excellent motivator and leader, this TEDx speaker has used her vast knowledge in sales, communications, finance, and employee engagement to help numerous clients including Pillsbury, Walmart, and Frito-Lay.

As a member of the National Speakers Association, Jan uses her experience to inspire people to make a difference through “Cheer Leadership®”. Known for her highly interactive, entertaining, and inspirational style, she recently taught in Panama, Romania, Switzerland, Uganda, Australia, and Bahrain.

Rae Ann S. Johnson, Esq

Attorney & Legal Consultant

Achurch Consulting

As an experienced attorney and operations leader, Rae Ann helps associations, non-profits, and other organizations balance their business needs with legal requirements. With 20 years of experience in employment law, contracts, corporate governance, HR, risk management, and corporate ethics, Rae Ann serves Achurch Consulting as their legal advisor helping organizations create meaningful solutions.

As COO and General Counsel with the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity & Innovation (MAPI), Rae Ann managed HR, IT, Finance, and Event operations, while simultaneously handling all legal matters.

Prior to MAPI, Rae Ann held various executive roles, such as leading a government contracting practice, serving as an advisor to state Health & Human Services agencies, and working for a U.S. Senator.

Rae Ann received her J.D. from American University, MSW from Washington University, and B.A. in Public Policy from The College of William & Mary.

Elisa Joseph Anders, DCMP

Senior Account Director

Marketing General Incorporated

Elisa Joseph Anders, a Senior Account Director at Marketing General Incorporated (MGI), provides clients with integrated marketing solutions to help them grow membership and market their products and services. She focuses on the strategic management of multi-channel programs that recruit, engage, and retain members for associations. She has worked with clients ranging from 3,000 to 200,000+ members, in all phases of the membership lifecycle.

Elisa brings to her clients over 30 years of marketing, management, and consulting experience. Over the course of her career, she has focused on creating and increasing the value of member, customer, and donor bases.

Bronkar Lee

Speaker & Coach

Bronkar Lee Instrumental.Humans

Bronkar Lee has performed over 5,000 live events for companies like Google, Facebook, Youtube, Keller Williams, and Disney Cruise Lines. He supports organizations with coaching, consulting, and dynamic presentations in the digital space and in-person. Bronkar plays over 40 musical instruments and uses these tools to awaken the natural influence within audience participants. His mission is to help people live with greater health, joy, and power -- to amplify their personal and professional performance so they can be positive instruments of influence.

Scott Lesnick, CSP

Business Growth & Leadership Expert

Successful Business Solutions LLC

Scott Lesnick is a high content international keynote speaker who is motivational, instructional, and educational in style and tone. He presents powerful keynotes and interactive breakout sessions, webinars, and is a consultant and author. Scott earned his CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) from the National Speakers Association. Only 12% of speakers worldwide have this designation! Scott is also a Certified Virtual Presenter.

In addition, Scott spent 24 award-winning sales and management years at Shaw Industries, a Berkshire Hathaway Fortune 500 company.

Scott served as the Dean of the Academy for Professional Speakers in 2016-17. He is a graduate of The University of Miami, Florida.

Scott recently presented at TEDx, and he’s run the equivalent of 2X around the planet. That’s 50k!

Chris Locke

Director of Marketing, Memberships & Education

Society for the Advancement of Material & Process Engineering (SAMPE)

Chris is a creative non-profit leader with expertise in integrated marketing strategies, education, and membership leadership. She can deliver positive outcomes with strong sustainable gains by inspiring quality team performance and collaboration. Her mission is to add value to her organization and challenge herself to exceed corporate objectives, targets, and goals. Elevating organizational performance levels through skillful leadership and fearless decision-making outcomes is her greatest pride. Her career has afforded her a strong skill set in developing and leading strategic initiatives in marketing, business development, sales, and operations. She's a goal-oriented, metrics-driven leader, adept at leveraging both quantitative and qualitative inputs to drive teams to success. With an entrepreneurial mindset, she's proactive, tenacious, a passionate team-leader, yet also very independent and regarded for his ability to drive processes and effect positive change.

Mia Lopez

Marketing Director

Uptown Studios, Inc

Mia works closely with each of Uptown Studios’ marketing clients, helping them to realize their marketing goals through strategically designed campaigns. Embracing each clients’ one-of-a-kind perspective and expertise, she pulls together ideas and concepts to develop compelling campaigns for social media and beyond. 

Jessica Mirabile, MBA, PHR, SHRM-CP

Training & Development & Marketing Leader

CA Employers Association

As the Sr. Trainer and Recruiting Director for the California EmployersAssociation, Jessica finds innovative ways to enhance the employer brand and develop the right strategies for employers’ talent needs. As a highly experienced executive with over 25 years of spearheading high impact initiatives and leading teams, she knows the value of helping employers connect with great talent.

Jessica holds a Master of Business Administration degree and has her PHR certification from the HR Certification Instituteand her SHRM-CP certification from the Society of Human Resource Management. She is a certified and licensed instructor and coach for Dale Carnegie programs and a StrengthsFinder Coach. She is a member of the American Society for Training and Development

Michael Mitchell, CAE

Principal

MG Strategy Consulting

Mike Mitchell, CAE, is Third Sector Company’s Senior Strategist for Online & Virtual Services. A Certified Association Executive, Mike has dedicated the last 20 years of his life to helping associations and non-profit organizations serve their constituents as a chief executive officer, chief elected officer, strategist, marketer, technologist, educator, trainer, coach, and mentor.

Scott Oser

President

Scott Oser Associates

Scott has over 20 years of marketing experience in the association and publishing industries. Throughout his career, he has excelled in developing, implementing, and analyzing multi-channel direct marketing programs. He is highly skilled in creating effective membership, marketing, and sales programs with the ability to align resources and operations to consistently achieve and exceed goals. He has recently added virtual and hybrid event sponsorship and exhibitor sales strategy and implementation to his areas of expertise. 

Lorie Reichel-Howe

Founder

Conversations In The Workplace

Lorie Reichel-Howe is the Founder of Conversations in the Workplace. She has over 20 years of expertise in communication and relationship management in equipping managers, teams, and business professionals to have "safe conversations" - transformative dialogue that uncovers hidden workplace issues. Whether challenging team dynamics, mismanaged expectations, or good old-fashioned bad behavior, "safe conversations" foster greater innovation, inclusion, and collaboration within organizations.

Lorie has diverse career experience as a leadership communications trainer, professional mediator, and conflict coach.

Lorie mediates for the Santa Clara Superior Court and the Santa Clara Department of Human Services.

Learn more about Lorie’s impact at www.ConversationsIntheWorkplace.com

Tina Reynolds

President

Uptown Studios, Inc

Tina has been running her own design firm since 1976 and she is the community face of Uptown Studios. She is ready and eager to get your project going, and share her experience that will give you the “big picture” on your campaign or marketing materials. Tina loves the people she gets to work with and is always there to remind you to make it “EASY, FUN, AND POPULAR!” 

Shaun Rundle

Deputy Director

CA Peace Officers' Association (CPOA)

Shaun Rundle is the Deputy Director at the California Peace Officers’ Association. In that role, he serves as Chief Operating Officer, course instructor, lobbyist, media contact, and office HR representative for the association, which serves more than 24,000 law enforcement officers in California with training and leadership development.

At CPOA, Shaun has re-designed the organization’s geographic Regions, fostered volunteer relationships into new memberships, and serves as a course instructor for CPOA’s new laws class each year.

Shaun started his association career with the YMCA in 2006 and has a B.A. in Political Science and International Relations from Sac State.

Rachel Sheerin, CPBA

Virtual Emcee & Motivational Keynote Speaker

Rachel Sheerin

Rachel Sheerin is an award-winning keynote speaker and emcee. With a background in catering and hospitality, Rachel's built multi-million dollar teams for organizations that want to grow profits, success, and happiness. Named 2019 Speaker of the Year, you may have seen Rachel on the TEDx stage, featured in Inc Magazine, or serving as Director of Global Awards for the Association for Women in Events. Focused on helping professionals thrive in work and life, Rachel's served audiences from Spain to Seattle, including The Ritz Carlton, WAL-MART, HBA, Berkshire Hathaway, MPI, The James Beard Foundation, and more. You can learn more about Rachel, her podcast and forthcoming book at www.rachelsheerin.com

Daniel Stover, MA

Founder & CEO

Ensight Partners

Daniel Stover, MA is the Founder & CEO of Ensight Partners, a leadership consulting firm specializing in executive coaching, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and increasing the bottom line through strategic cultural change. Dan grew up in rural Ohio, attended Ohio State University and lives in Los Angeles, California. In his free time, Dan enjoys reading, hiking, and nature photography.

Craig Zablocki

Keynote Speaker, Author & Consultant

Craig Zablocki & Associates

Making a profound difference for nearly 25 years, Craig has spoken to over one million people internationally and in all 50 states. From cops to gang members, from surgeons to school superintendents, from lawyers to realtors; he addresses corporate executives, child-abuse-prevention specialists, and social service advocates of all kinds.... college professors, federal prison workers, mental health specialists, and the armed forces. Thousands of organizations rely on Craig to help them transform the obstacles that keep them stuck, lift them up, and breathe new life into their purpose! Aside from numerous interviews and articles written by or about Craig, he authored the book, Improv 101: 101 Improvisational Exercises to Unleash Your Creative Spirit, and has an audio program, The Intelligence of Fun, Live with Craig Zablocki.