Leadership Academy Program Overview & Application

The presentation introduces the history of people with a developmental disability with a specific focus on public welfare, policy, and practice milestones in the context of realizing everyday lives. For those of us who work alongside people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), we each have our own “why’s”—why we come to work every day, why we got into this field, and why we stay, even on the hard days. However, although we work with people with I/DD every day, many of our “why’s” have not necessarily been informed by learning about disability history. There’s so much we can learn from our past to make sense of our present and make changes for the future.

Subject Matter Expert: 

• Alli Strong-Martin, Communications Coordinator, ANCOR

Although the federal-state partnership model on which the Medicaid program is built offers many benefits, it also means that policies and regulations governing the program can be complex. Nevertheless, it is imperative that community-based I/DD providers fully understand their programs’ expectations. This session will focus on the essentials of Medicaid’s policy and regulatory environment. Participants will leave with an understanding of crucial Medicaid rules and considerations for how to ensure the services they deliver comply with those rules.

Subject Matter Experts: 

• Lydia Dawson, Senior Director of Government Relations, ANCOR 
• Elise Aguilar, Director of Federal Relations, ANCOR 

This seminar will focus on applying person-centered thinking strategies to support coworkers and teams to resolve conflicts by understanding perspectives, defining shared vision, and breaking down barriers. Additionally, the session will focus on principles of inclusive leadership and how to use the person-centered process to discover more about individual team members and the culture of an organization and its teams. We will break down barriers that may arise when assisting individuals with life decisions and assisting organizations with developing and maintaining an organizational vision. Also, during this session, attendees will gain experience using a variety of person-centered tools in a nontraditional way, focusing on resolving conflict, eliminating barriers, and moving organizations forward by using the Life Trajectory for team planning and the Integrated Support Star for organizational planning.

Subject Matter Experts: 

• Heather Daily, Business Development Associate, Therap Services 
• Dr. Shae Dotson, Assistant Director of Person Center Practices, Therap Services 

Supporting people with diverse needs in an evolving business environment means that our increasingly sophisticated work demands our ability to manage change. Whether developing new ways of delivering services, adapting to workforce shortages, or heightening your organization’s focus on equity and inclusion, leadership requires adapting to and initiating change. This session illustrates how effective change management in a constantly evolving environment can propel your organization toward its mission. By the end of this course, participants will have a working knowledge of critical considerations and techniques for responding to and initiating change at the organizational level.

Subject Matter Expert: 

• Greg Wellems, Vice President of Operations, Keystone Human Services 

The best crisis management strategy is prevention but being prepared is crucial when that fails. However, how does one prepare for the unexpected? The answers to that question are at the core of this session, during which presenters will walk through the stages of a crisis, the roles and responsibilities of a crisis team, and the steps to take to put a crisis response plan into action. Participants will leave knowing the critical decision points they will encounter when facing a crisis and the considerations essential to emerging from a crisis on solid ground.

Subject Matter Expert:  

• Brad Goldstein, Partner, Resilience Communications LLC 

Let’s face it: service delivery costs are increasing, while state and federal funding is remaining stagnant. In turn, financial sustainability requires a diversified set of funding streams. Designed to illustrate the “why” and the “how” of diversifying your organization’s revenue sources, this course will equip emerging leaders with a range of ideas for potential non-governmental sources of revenue, as well as an outline for deciding if and how to pursue potential sources of new funding.

Subject Matter Experts: 

• Merrill Friedman, Regional Vice President of Inclusive Policy & Advocacy, Elevance Health 
• Mariana Nork, Chief Corporate Engagement Officer, ANCOR 
• Samantha Nottingham, Chief Development Officer, Birch Family Services (NYC) 

As a human services organization leader, the odds are that you were attracted to the work for reasons other than the opportunity to pour over quarterly profit and loss statements. Nevertheless, leading a complex organization requires at least a working understanding of essential financial management functions. Whether you are a seasoned expert in financial management or just seeking to glean the bare minimum to get by, this course will walk you through the essentials you will need to speak fluently and ask the right questions when it comes to your organization’s finances.

Subject Matter Experts: 

• Erica Metzger Hare, Chief Financial and strategy Officer, Aspire Living & Learning 
• Diane Wright, Controller, Aspire Living & Learning 

As managers, we often think about our direct reports—the people under our direct supervision. However, effective leadership also requires that we “manage up,” building relationships and gaining buy-in from those higher up in the org chart, including the CEO and the Board of Directors. In this course, presenters will make a case for why partnering with your organization’s most senior leaders is so important and strategies for optimizing those partnerships. By the end of the course, participants will be able to identify short- and long-term strategies for building and engaging in productive CEO and Board relationships.

Subject Matter Experts: 

• Erica Buchanan, Executive Director, CADENCE of Acadiana Inc. and Chief Executive Officer of Violet Vision International 
• Robert Budd, Chief Executive Officer of Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc. 
• Gabrielle Sedor, Director, ANCOR Foundation and Chief Operations Officer, ANCOR 

More and more organizations are recognizing the importance of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion—or “DEI”—in the workplace. However, these efforts often emphasize the diversity among the existing workforce without recognizing how their hiring practices prevent the execution of effective DEI efforts before potential colleagues even apply for the job. In response, this course is designed to help participants identify hiring practices that, though standard, may unintentionally inhibit progress toward the creation of a more diverse and inclusive workplace. By the end of this course, participants will be able to identify the unintended biases that can emerge with traditional hiring practices and will begin to craft refined practices that work to subvert bias in the hiring process.

Subject Matter Expert: 

• Sasha Sencer, Director of Education and Intersectional Collaboration, ANCOR