​Human Connection: Your Competitive Advantage in Customer Service

9:30–10:30 AM
Location: Polaris Ballrooms

Presenter: Riaz Meghji, Human Connection Expert; Author; Broadcaster

Customer service isn’t just about solving problems—it’s about building relationships that last beyond a single transaction. In this session, Riaz Meghji shares practical strategies to create meaningful customer connections that drive loyalty, engagement, and long-term success. Participants will learn how to listen without distraction, navigate conflict with empathy, and turn every interaction into an opportunity to strengthen trust and collaboration.

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Recruit, Retain, Restore: Strategies for Supporting Today’s Workforce

10:45 AM–12:00 PM
Location: Polaris AD

Presenter: Kelly Bell, LCSW, Implementation Director, Family Centered Treatment Foundation

Co-presenter: Megan Goldman, Implementation Director, Family Centered Treatment Foundation; Haley Bowra, LISW-S, Program Director, Health Connect America- Ohio 

Building a resilient, mission-driven workforce requires more than strong hiring practices. This session equips leaders and supervisors with practical strategies to embed equity, transparency, and well-being into recruitment, retention, and organizational culture. Through real-world examples and scenario-based learning, participants will leave with actionable tools to strengthen morale, improve retention, and support sustainable workforce development.

 

Exploring the Hunger for Connection

10:45 AM–12:00 PM
Location: Polaris BE

Presenter: Jim Kuebler (Chef Kibby), Cookin’ with Kibby

Chef Kibby blends trauma-informed psychology, food neuroscience, and lived experience to explore the deep human need for connection—especially among children and families impacted by trauma. This engaging session offers new perspectives on how food, empathy, and relational awareness can support healing, understanding, and stronger caregiver-youth relationships.

 

How to Make Meaningful Cultural Change Using the “Trust and Inspire” Model

10:45 AM–12:00 PM
Location: Polaris CF

Presenter: Jodi Harding, LPCC-S, Chief Operating Officer, Talbert House

Co-presenter: Maureen Donnellan Habel, Vice President, Talent and Engagement, Talbert House 

Grounded in Stephen M. Covey’s Trust and Inspire, this session explores a modern leadership approach that moves beyond command-and-control toward empowerment, purpose, and engagement. Participants will gain practical strategies to build trust, inspire growth, and create cultures where teams feel valued, motivated, and equipped to perform at their best.

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KinFirst Experience: An Immersive Journey (Part 1)

10:45 AM–12:00 PM
Location: Gemini BC

Presenter: Stephanie Beleal, MSW, LISW, Program Director, Kinnect

Co-presenter: Rick Dencer, Family Search and Engagement Trainer, Kinnect 

This immersive, self-paced experience invites participants to explore KinFirst practice through storytelling, multimedia, and reflection. Attendees will examine personal connections to family, youth perspectives on permanency, and the lived realities of kinship caregivers.
Please note: To preserve the flow of this immersive experience, participants are asked to arrive on time.

 

From Strategy to Service: Implementing Vision with Purpose, Alignment, and Commitment

1:15–2:30 PM
Location: Polaris AD

Presenter: Laura Mitchell, President & CEO, Beech Acres Parenting Center

Co-presenter: Brittany Speed, CPA, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, Beech Acres 

Having a bold vision is not enough—execution is what drives impact. This workshop helps leaders translate strategy into action through alignment, accountability, and practical implementation tools. Participants will leave with frameworks to drive measurable outcomes and foster sustainable change in social service organizations.

 

Faster, Safer Placements: M365 Power Platform Automation for Modernizing Intake

1:15–2:30 PM
Location: Polaris BE

Presenter: DeShon Clark, Chief AI Officer, Allventa LLC

Co-Presenter: Shawn Yambor, LPC, Director of Residential Services, Christian Children's Home of Ohio

This session showcases how Christian Children’s Home of Ohio modernized its intake and placement process using Microsoft Power Platform tools. Attendees will explore a real-world blueprint for secure, low-risk digital transformation that improves data quality, compliance, and cross-agency communication.

 

Advancing Behavioral Health Respite for Youth and Families with Complex Needs

1:15–2:30 PM
Location: Polaris CF

Presenter: Kelly Smith, External Affairs, Ohio Department of Medicaid

Co-presenter: Aditi Naik, MPA, Manager, Behavioral Health Services, Ohio Children's Alliance 

Learn how Ohio is integrating behavioral health respite into Medicaid through the OhioRISE program. This session highlights implementation lessons, provider and family perspectives, and how respite care is becoming a cornerstone of Ohio’s system of care for youth with complex needs.

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KinFirst Experience: An Immersive Journey (Part 2)

1:15–2:30 PM
Location: Gemini BC

Speaker: Stephanie Beleal, MSW, LISW, Program Director, Kinnect

Co-presenter: Rick Dencer, Trainer, Kinnect 

Part two of this immersive KinFirst experience continues the reflective journey, challenging participants to re-center purpose, question assumptions, and recommit to family-centered permanency practices. Please note: Timely arrival is required to fully participate.

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Reset and Relate: Building Compassionate Habits for Sustainable Support 

2:45–4:00 PM
Location: Polaris AD

Presenter: Patrick McKelvey, MS, LPCC-S, NCC, ECMHC, OIMHP-III, Clinical Lead Supervisor - Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation and Training, Nationwide Children's Hospital 

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Reset and Relate introduces participants to simple, science-informed habits that interrupt rumination, reduce emotional overwhelm, and support compassionate engagement with themselves and others. Through accessible brain-based concepts and practical micro-skills, the session helps individuals restore regulation, navigate stress more effectively, and cultivate sustainable compassion in everyday life. 

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Visualizing Resilience: Breaking the “High Functioning” Cycle with Agile and CAT Kit  

2:45–4:00 PM
Location: Polaris BE

Presenter: Nora G. De Arco, Google Agile project management; Masters of Divinity Responsive Care; Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer, Café Graciela 

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In the youth-serving sector, “urgency” acts as a mask for trauma, leading to the “Devil Emails at Midnight” culture described by Mita Mallick. Our most high-functioning leaders often hide their anhedonia behind high performance, as noted by Dr. Judith Joseph. To connect for impact, we must make the invisible visible. This experiential session integrates Agile Project Management with Dr. Kirsten Callesen’s CAT Kit (Cognitive Affective Training). Led by Nora De Arco, a dual-certified Project Manager and Trauma-Informed practitioner, attendees will learn to map emotional bandwidth alongside project velocity. We will use the CAT Kit’s visual tools to externalize internal states, effectively “Breaking the Cycle” of intergenerational organizational trauma (Dr. Mariel Buqué) and creating a workspace that allows for a true “Homecoming” of the self (Dr. Thema Bryant).   

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Employee Engagement through a Multigenerational Lens  

2:45–4:00 PM
Location: Polaris CF

Presenter: Lorie Battaglia, LSW, OCCRRA Approved Trainer Trauma Informed Care - Level 3 Trauma Competent (Ohio Governor's Children's Initiative) , Program Administrator, Lake-Geauga United Head Start, Inc.  

Co-presenter: Laura Hopkins, MPA, Chief Executive Officer, Lake-Geauga United Head Start, Inc. 

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​Many programs are experiencing high turnover and difficulty finding employees. This session will explore employee engagement through the multigenerational lens. We will explore creative strategies to find, onboard and retain staff. Participants will be given the opportunity to see how using data will help steer the programs engagement plan. We will include brainstorming, group discussion, and examples of how our program made employee engagement a priority. This training was presented and received positive feedback from both the National and Regional Head Start Conferences. 

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Navigating Consent: Legal Standards, Ethical Clarity, and Patient-Friendly Documentation  

2:45–4:00 PM
Location: Gemini BC

Presenter: Daphne Kackloudis, JD, OHCC 

Co-presenter: Jordan Burdick, JD 

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​This presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of informed and general consent processes, emphasizing best practices for securing and documenting consent and the repercussions of not obtaining consent from patients or their representatives. The presentation will provide targeted guidance to attendees on what a legally valid informed consent process looks like in practice; the types of services that require informed consent; what services minors can consent to alone in Ohio; and how to effectively train staff to obtain legally valid informed consent. Additionally, this presentation will guide attendees on best practices for documenting consent in the patient’s record and creating robust patient consent forms.