CEO Summit 2025: Agenda

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AGENDA

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)

11:15 – 11:30 a.m.

Break
Conference Center Lobby

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Futuristic Partnerships Panel
Ballroom 1 & 2

Radiant Alliance is an innovative new partnership with mission-aligned partners including Genacross Lutheran Services, United Church Homes, Ohio Hospice and others. 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.

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
Ballroom Room 1 & 2

Mark McClellan, Professor of Business, Medicine and Policy, Margolis Institute for Health Policy at Duke University (invited)

4:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Devotion and Wrap-up
Ballroom Room 1 & 2

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

4:15 – 4:45 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
Lagoon Reception Area (Outdoor Lawn)

Sponsored by Portico Benefit Services and Mission Investment Fund

6:30 – 7:00 p.m.

Open Reception for All
Lagoon Reception Area (Outdoor Lawn)

Sponsored by Portico Benefit Services and Mission Investment Fund

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Group Dinner
Stockton A

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
Conference Center Lobby

8:30 – 8:45 a.m.

Devotion
Ballroom 1 & 2

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

8:45 – 10:45 a.m.

Crafting Future from Uncertainty: Scenario Planning in Dynamic Environments

Scenario planning is more than an analytical exercise—it’s a process that provides leadership with valuable experiential inputs. Explore the power of the two-phase approach: divergent thinking and action and priority-setting. You’ll leave with tangible actions and takeaways to share with your team and board.

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

10:45 – 11:15 a.m.

Break
Conference Center Lobby

11:15 – 11:45 a.m.

Sector in Motion
Ballroom 1 & 2

Our sector is in motion. From mergers to acquisitions to divestitures to new and emerging partnerships, recognizing and understanding opportunity can be the key to long-term success. Hear from leaders who are rightsizing in unique ways.

Panelists:

Grace Araya, President and CEO, Concordia Place
Shelley Kendrick, President and CEO, Ecumen
Sam Sipes, President and CEO, Lutheran Services Florida
Pat Theuson, President and CEO, Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota

Wrap-up and Reflections

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

Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Annual Membership Meeting and Leadership Awards Luncheon

Stockton A & B (or)
Inn Dining Room
Conference Center Lobby

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
Conference Center Lobby

3:15 – 4:00 p.m.

Catalyzing Insights: Ron Hetrick, Lightcast
Ballroom 1 & 2

4:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Devotion and Wrap-up

Kent Mitchell, Vice President, Strategy & Innovation, Lutheran Services in America
Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

4:15 – 4:45 p.m.

Walking Alongside, Together
Patio

This small group discussion, led by Pastor Mark Huber and Renada Johnson, 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.

4:15 – 5:00 p.m.

Public Policy Committee Meeting (by invitation only)
Tarpon Room

4:30 – 5:00 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
Inn Dining Room and Golf Club Dining Room

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
Conference Center Lobby

8:30 – 8:45 a.m.

Devotion
Ballroom 1 & 2

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

8:45 – 10:30 a.m.

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

You can’t miss this session: three leading industry experts share the ways AI is changing our work and our expectations in big and small ways. From using predictive analytics to provide better patient care to streamlining operations to workforce efficiencies, AI can be transformative, but there are also consequences to consider. Join us in exploring the pitfalls and opportunities as this game-changing technology barrels forward, and how nonprofit sector leaders must work to establish responsible and equitable guardrails.

Keynote Speakers:

Caitlin Augustin, Vice President of Products and Programs, DataKind
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
Adriene Iverson, President, Elder Care Alliance