Registration & Breakfast

Stop by registration to check in, pick up your materials, and get ready for a great event.

Individuals staying at the Embassy Suites will have breakfast provided by the hotel. All other participants are responsible for their own breakfast arrangements. Coffee will be available in the meeting area.

General Session – Leadership Wellness

Leadership Wellness – Healthy leaders create healthy workplaces, inclusive of mental, emotional, and physical wellness.  Join us to hear from and discuss the critical ingredients of practices and systems to manage leader wellbeing.

Speakers: 

Ed Condon

Greetings from Jess Ridgway, Office of Children’s Affairs, City and County of Denver.

Steph Saffer

Panel:

Ruby Behm, College of Southern Idaho, Head Start/Early Head Start Program Director

Lunch

Enjoy a provided lunch while connecting and networking with fellow participants

General Session – On The Horizon

During this session, a member of the ELC will outline in detail both headwinds and tailwinds impacting our community organizations.   

Speakers:

Introduction by Cynthia Yao, Rise Partners LLC

Adolfo Ventura, CEO, MAAC Project

Affinity Groups 

Peer to Peer – In this session to be facilitated by Cynthia Yao and selected attendees, individuals will team up with peers for directed discussions.  

Affinity Group Categories:

– CEO/ED 

– Fiscal/Human Resources/Operational 

– Head Start Directors/Deputy Directors 

General Session – Government Relations

The good, the bad, and everything in between!  Navigating Federal and State regulatory partnerships. During this session, led by an experienced advocate, attendees will discuss the national landscape impacting human service organizations.

Introduction: Ed Condon

Speakers: Joel Ryan, Washington State Association of Head Start & ECEAP

Happy Hour

A well deserved happy hour! Relax, enjoy refreshments, and network with fellow attendees.

Breakfast

Individuals staying at the Embassy Suites will have breakfast provided by the hotel. All other participants are responsible for their own breakfast arrangements. Coffee will be available in the meeting area.

General Session – National Horizon

Elliot Haspel, Author

Yvette Sanchez-Fuentes, Start Early

Break

Breakout Session – Emerging Issues

At this time, individuals will be welcomed to choose one of three topics for discussion. These discussions will be guided by Issue Guides developed by Cynthia Yao of RISE Partners.

Topics: Preventing Fraud, Waste, and Abuse, ACF 2026 Priorities, Appropriations, Head Start Program Performance Standards

Lunch

Enjoy a provided lunch while connecting and networking with fellow participants

This is both the conclusion of the Executive Leadership Council and the start of the Workforce Summit 

General Session – Workforce 2026

Workforce 2026: This general session will explore key workforce strategies that help us recruit, support, and retain an engaged, high-performing team. A panel of leaders will highlight recruitment, outreach, onboarding, and retention efforts designed to reflect and strengthen our community and culture.

Speaker:

Wanzi Muruvi, PhD, Associate Director, Research & Policy, Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley.

Breakout Session – Human Resources

Selected attendees will facilitate this session, creating space for peer-to-peer learning and the sharing of effective, real-world practices.

Topics:

– Succession Planning

– Compensation & Benefits

– Professional Learning

Happy Hour – Stout Street Social

Enjoy a hip setting and an eclectic menu featuring everything from New England clam chowder to sushi rolls. This is a no host meetup 

Check out Visit Denver: Click Here

Breakfast

Individuals staying at the Embassy Suites will have breakfast provided by the hotel. All other participants are responsible for their own breakfast arrangements. Coffee will be available in the meeting area.

General Session – Innovations in Human Resources

During this session, both the keynote and panel experts will center on Career Pathways and Applied Practice. Speakers will highlight research-to-practice strategies, with a focus on:

– Apprenticeship: Kathleen Sparrow, EdD, Early Childhood Workforce Scholarship Specialist, and Meghan More
ECE Recruitment & Retention Administrator,
Colorado, Department of Early Childhood

–Coaching:  Kamaie Clark, Assistant Director Construct,

–Community Partnerships: Jerry Yang, Executive Director, Kai Ming”

Breakout Session – Human Resources

Selected attendees will facilitate this session, creating space for peer-to-peer learning and the sharing of effective, real-world practices linked to outcomes in monitoring and Head Start Program Performance Standards.

– Human Resources Systems & Compliance

– Data, Monitoring & Continuous Improvement

– Engagement/Wellness/Program Wide Support

Lunch

Enjoy a provided lunch while connecting and networking with fellow participants

General Session – Next Generation Leadership

During this final general session the 2026 Workforce Summit with a forward-looking focus on developing the next generation of leaders. From cultivating strong organizational culture and expanding professional learning to embracing flexible work structures, emerging leaders will share the insights, expectations, and evolving demands shaping the future of their organizations.

Speakers:

Lisa M Wilson, M.Ed., Founder & Principal Consultant, Connected Minds Consulting Group, LLC

Iris Bradford, Earn and Learn Coaching

Action Planning  

Facilitated Commitment and Evaluation – We will conclude the Executive Leadership Council and Workforce Summit by empowering attendees to translate learning into action, developing clear plans to implement in their programs.

Speaker:

Cynthia Yao, Rise Partners LLC