CEO Summit 2025: Agenda

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AGENDA

PDF version will be available soon.

Sunday, January 26

4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Registration
Conference Center Lobby

6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Welcome Reception and Land Acknowledgment
West Lawn (in case of inclement weather: Inn Dining Room)

Join us! Reconnect with familiar faces and meet new friends while you enjoy drinks, hors d’oeuvres and the fellowship of your peers.

Monday, January 27

7:00 – 8:30 a.m.

Registration
Conference Center Lobby

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast
Conference Center Lobby

8:30 – 9:15 a.m.

Opening Devotion and Welcome
Ballroom 1 & 2

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)
Alesia Frerichs, President & CEO, Lutheran Services in America

9:15 – 11:15 a.m.

Leveraging the Mega Trends and Future Forces Headed Our Way
Ballroom 1 & 2

Is your organization positioned to place strategic bets in the face of uncertainty? Are you prepared to leverage the mega trends and future forces headed our way? In an era marked by rapid change and unpredictable shifts, strategy—rooted in stability and predictability—can be inadequate. Join Matt Ranen as he shares how speculative forecasting, adaptive responsiveness, sustainable portfolio management and other approaches can help leaders gain actionable insights into navigating today’s fast-moving business landscape.

Keynote Speaker:

Matt Ranen, Principal, Matt Ranen Consulting; Program Director for the Strategy Executives Council at The Conference Board; Lecturer, Northwestern Kellogg School of Business

Leadership Profile: Making Tough Decisions

Panelists:

Nate Schema, President & CEO, Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society
Héctor Colón, President & CEO, Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan
Alesia Frerichs, President & CEO, Lutheran Services in America (moderator)

10:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Break
Conference Center Lobby

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Futuristic Partnerships Panel
Ballroom 1 & 2

Radiant Alliance, an innovative new partnership with mission-aligned partners including Genacross Lutheran Services, United Church Homes, Ohio Hospice and others, was recently expanded to include CareSource, a national Medicaid managed care provider. Join Erhardt Preitauer, Rick Marshall, and Ken Daniel as they share their vision on the values of partnership and the future of integrated health care.

Panelists:

Ken Daniel, President and CEO, United Homes Church
Rick Marshall, President and CEO, Genacross Lutheran Services
Erhardt Preitauer, President & CEO, CareSource
Alesia Frerichs, President & CEO, Lutheran Services in America (moderator)

Matt Ranen Wrap-up

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Networking Lunch
Inn Dining Room

1:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Catalyst Roundtables

Explore key issues impacting your work with thought leaders, industry experts, and your peers in these highly engaging, deep dive breakout sessions. Topics will include workforce trends and innovations, the aging forgotten middle, affordable housing, and payor partnerships. We will also consider and discuss policy implications based, in part, on the outcome of the elections. Choose a session of interest and join your peers for provoking conversation and idea sharing.

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Break

3:15 – 4:00 p.m.

Catalyzing Insights

4:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Devotion and Wrap-up

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

4:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Walking Alongside, Together

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

This small group discussion, led by Pastor Mark Huber, will focus on redefining organizational leadership for today as we work to balance decision making and understanding. Join with your peers to share your insights, challenges, and strategies.

6:00 – 6:30 p.m.

First-Time Attendee Welcome Reception

Sponsored by Portico Benefit Services and Mission Investment Fund

6:30 – 7:00 p.m.

Open Reception for All

Sponsored by Portico Benefit Services and Mission Investment Fund

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Group Dinner

Join us for dinner and conversation with your peers for celebration as we share time together and welcome new CEOs to the network.

Tuesday, January 28

7:00 – 7:30 a.m.

Registration

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast

8:30 – 8:45 a.m.

Devotion

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

8:45 – 10:30 a.m.

Scenario Planning for Dynamic Environments

Keynote Speaker:

Matt Ranen, Principal, Matt Ranen Consulting; Program Director for the Strategy Executives Council at The Conference Board; Lecturer, Northwestern Kellogg School of Business

Panelists:

Rick Marshall, President and CEO, Genacross Lutheran Services
Ken Daniel, President and CEO, United Church Homes
Luanne Fisher, PhD, President and CEO, Liberty Lutheran

Scenario planning generates and prioritizes strategic options in the face of growing business uncertainty. Scenario planning is more than an analytical exercise—it’s a process that provides leadership with valuable experiential inputs. In the second session, we will explore the two phrases of the process: an initial phase facilitating divergent thinking and a second phase focused on action and priority-setting. Outputs are actionable and designed to align your organization to drive toward strategic goals.

10:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Break

11:00 a.m. – Noon

Sector in Motion

Panelists:

Shelley Kendrick, President and CEO, Ecumen
Nate Schema, President and CEO, Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society
Pat Theuson, President and CEO, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota
Grace Araya, President and CEO, Concordia Place

Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Annual Membership Meeting and Leadership Awards Luncheon

Sponsored by Lutheran Church Extension Fund

1:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Catalyst Round Tables

Join us for Day 2 of the Catalyst Roundtables to engage in deeper exploration with thought leaders and industry experts!

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Break

3:15 – 4:00 p.m.

Catalyzing Insights

4:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Devotion and Wrap-up

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

4:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Walking Alongside, Together

This small group discussion, led by Pastor Mark Huber, will focus on redefining organizational leadership for today as we work to balance decision making and understanding. Join your peers to share your insights, challenges, and strategies.

4:15 – 5:45 p.m.

Disability Network CEO Check-in

5:00 – 5:30 p.m.

One-on-One Walks

New and experienced CEOs are matched together to discuss issues, share ideas and foster relationships.

5:00 – 6:30 p.m.

Portico Networking Reception

Portico Benefit Services invites you to enjoy refreshments and conversation with friends and colleagues.

6:45 p.m.

Lobby Meet-up for Optional Networking Dinner

Meet for a casual dinner and a chance to connect with friends old and new (participants cover their own meal costs). We will meet in the hotel lobby at 6:45 p.m. and walk to the restaurant together.

Wednesday, January 29

7:00 – 8:30 a.m.

Registration

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast

8:30 – 8:45 a.m.

Devotion

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

8:45 a.m. – Noon

Artificial Intelligence: Old News, New News or No News . . . What Does It Mean and What Could It Mean?

Keynote Speaker:

Nabiha Syed, Executive Director, Mozilla Foundation, Dedicated to Harnessing AI for Social Good
Nathan Chappell, Co-founder of Fundraising.AI and Senior Vice President at DonorSearch