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

Alesia Frerichs, President & CEO, Lutheran Services in America
Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)
Renada Johnson, Senior Director of Children Youth & Families, Lutheran Services in America

9:15 – 10:30 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

10:30 – 11:00 a.m.

Break
Conference Center Lobby

11:00 – 11:45 a.m.

Matt Ranen
Ballroom 1 & 2

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Futuristic Partnerships: A Strategic Journey for Long-Term Success
Ballroom 1 & 2

For some organizations, long-term success may be best achieved through leveraging innovative partnerships. This session will highlight the strategic considerations, challenges, and lessons learned in selecting the right partner to strengthen the organization for long-term growth and impact. Join Adriene Iverson, 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

Adriene Iverson, President, Transforming Age+

Rick Marshall, President and CEO, Genacross Lutheran Services

Samuel Sipes, President and CEO, Lutheran Services Florida (moderator)

Matt Ranen Wrap-up

12:30 – 1:30 p.m.

Networking Lunch
Stockton A & B

1:45 – 3:00 p.m.

Catalyst Roundtables

What Does It Look Like When Social Care and Health Care Collaborate to Strengthen Families?
Public-Private Partnerships to Advance Housing Security

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Break

3:15 – 4:15 p.m.

Medicaid and the Shifting Federal Health Policy Landscape
Ballroom Room 1 & 2

Mark McClellan, Professor of Business, Medicine and Policy, Margolis Institute for Health Policy at Duke University
Rodney Whitlock, Vice President, McDermott+

4:15 – 4:30 p.m.

Devotion and Wrap-up
Ballroom Room 1 & 2

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

4:30 – 5:00 p.m.

Walking Alongside, Together

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.

6:00 – 6:30 p.m.

First-Time Attendee Welcome Reception
West Lawn (outdoor lawn)
Lagoon Room (inside, weather dependent)

Sponsored by Portico Benefit Services and Mission Investment Fund

6:30 – 7:00 p.m.

Open Reception for All
West Lawn (outdoor lawn)
Lagoon Room (inside, weather dependent)

Sponsored by Portico Benefit Services and Mission Investment Fund

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Group Dinner
Stockton A & B

Join us for dinner and conversation with your peers as we share time together and welcome CEOs new 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 – 10:30 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.

Crafting Future from Uncertainty (cont.): Wrap-up and Reflections
Ballroom 1 & 2

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

The Forgotten Middle: How are Policy Makers, Payers and Providers Preparing for this Surge?
Building a Future–Ready Workforce

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.

Break
Conference Center Lobby

3:15 – 4:00 p.m.

Catalyzing Insights: Ron Hetrick, Lightcast
Ballroom 1 & 2

In the next 10 years, the U.S. will face the largest labor shortage it has ever seen, forcing health and human service agencies to pivot to fill their workforce. Leading workforce economist Ron Hetrick will describe how Baby Boomer retirements, plummeting childbirth rates, and historically low labor force participation will result in a deficit of 6 million workers by 2032.

Ron Hetrick, Senior Labor Economist and VP of Staffing Product, Lightcast
Stephanie Chedid, President and CEO, Luther Manor (moderator)

4:00 – 4:15 p.m.

Devotion and Wrap-up

Pastor Mark Huber, Sanctuary Church (MA)

4:15 – 4:45 p.m.

Walking Alongside, Together
Patio

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.

6:30 / 7:00 p.m.

Lobby Meet-up for Optional Networking Dinner
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). There will be two seatings: one at 6:30 and one at 7:00 pm. Please check your email for confirmation information. We will meet in the lobby at 6:15 pm (for 6:30 reservation) and at 6:45 pm (for 7:00 pm reservation) to walk over as a group, or plan to meet us there.

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