Schedule is Subject to Change
Monday, May 4
7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Registration
Room: Tuscany Foyer
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Pre-Conference Trainings (Registration Required – Limited Space Available)
Beyond the Flames – Navigating the Financial Maze of Wildfire Recovery
Facilitators: Valerie Brown, Jeri Curry, Sidra Goldwater, Kate Bulger
Room: Tuscany 9
Centering Children in Disasters
Facilitator: Greta Wetzel, Bryanna Greene
Room: Tuscany 10
DCM Essentials: Blended Delivery with Applied Learning Experiences
Facilitator: Melissa Hruska
Room: Tuscany 11
Finding Your Leadership Core in Times of Uncertainty (Additional Fee Required)
Facilitator: Leonard J. Marcus
Room: Tuscany 12
1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
National VOAD Member and State/Territory VOAD Meeting (Closed Business Meeting – Designated Member Representatives)
Room: Tuscany DEF
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Annual Meeting (Open to All Attendees)
Room: Tuscany DEF
4:15 pm – 5:15 pm
Committee Leadership Meeting
Room: Tuscany 1-2
5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Welcome Reception (Open to All Attendees)
Room: Tuscany 3-6
Tuesday, May 5
7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Reflection Room
Room: Pisa
7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Registration
Room: Tuscany Foyer
8:00 am – 5:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Open
Room: Tuscany ABC
8:00 am – 11:45 am
Exhibitor Meet & Greet
Room: Tuscany ABC
9:00 am – 11:45 am
Service Project 1: Comfort Kit and Preparedness & Readiness Folder Assembly
Service Project 2: Care Bag Assembly for Victims of Domestic Violence
Room: Tuscany 1-2
8:00 am – 9:00 am
State/Territory VOAD Leadership Meeting (Closed Meeting – Open to Primary & Secondary Representatives)
Room: Tuscany 6
9:15 am – 10:15 am
First Timers Mixer
Room: Tuscany 11-12
10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Meet the Members
Room: Tuscany 3-4
12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Welcome Luncheon
Room: Tuscany DEF
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Committee Meetings 1
Community Preparedness – Tuscany 6
International – Tuscany 7
Long Term Recovery Groups – Tuscany 8
Donations Management – Tuscany 9
Disaster Migration – Tuscany 10
3:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Breakout Session 1 – Click Here to View Session Descriptions
Beyond Immediate Relief: Long-Term Resilience and Sustainable Housing Solutions for Low-Income Survivors
Speakers: Jenn Dorsch-Messler, Seth Long
Room: Tuscany 5
Tech Tools for Disaster Response, Recovery, & Rebuilding: Is there an APP for that?
Speakers: Valerie Brown, Adam Freed, Jeri Curry, Patty Ratterman
Room: Tuscany 6
Including Inclusion: A Reflective Exercise on How Emergency Responses Failed People with Disabilities—and How We Must Do Better
Speakers: Bjorn Betzler, Ann Diapaola
Room: Tuscany 7
Building Community Resilience through Fellowship in Mass Casualty Events
Speaker: Leon Ferraez
Room: Tuscany 8
Rebuilding from Within: Community-Led Recovery Through Workforce Partnerships and Local Capacity Building
Speakers: Juanicia Crump, Jose Madera, Luke Pratt
Room: Tuscany 9
Transforming Disaster Response Through Innovative Partnerships
Speaker: Ashley Bustillo
Room: Tuscany 10
Imagining a World Where the Emotional Aftershocks of Disaster No Longer Define Lives, But Give Way to Healing, Resilience, and Hope
Speaker: Jolie Wills
Room: Tuscany 11
Navigating the New Emergency Management Reality: Data-Driven Sensemaking and Sector Adaptation for VOAD groups
Speaker: Laura Olson, Mikel Gordon, Kevin King, Eric Waage
Room: Tuscany 12
4:15 pm – 5:15 pm
Committee Meetings 2
Communications – Tuscany 6
Advocacy – Tuscany 7
Mass Care – Tuscany 8
Volunteer Management – Tuscany 9
Disaster Legal – Tuscany 10
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Awards Dinner Social Hour
Location: Terrace Lounge Bar
6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
Awards Dinner
Room: Tuscany DEF
Wednesday, May 6
7:00 am – 5:00 pm
Reflection Room
Room: Pisa
7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Registration
Room: Tuscany Foyer
7:30 am – 5:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Open
Room: Tuscany ABC
7:30 am – 8:45 am
Expo Breakfast
Room: Tuscany ABC
9:00 am – 10:00 am
Plenary Keynote
Room: Tuscany DEF
10:15 am – 11:15 am
Breakout Session 2 – Click Here to View Session Descriptions
The Appalachian Relay: Visionary Leadership, Trusted Messengers, Building Recovery
Speakers: Kat Latham, Leslie Dalton
Room: Tuscany 6
Master Disaster Communication: A Hands-On Lab with Next-Gen Tools
Speakers: Vivi Siegel, Anne Meyers, Sabrina Riera
Room: Tuscany 7
Small Disasters, Big Impact: The Importance of Community Resilience and Local Disaster Coordination
Speakers: Cindy Stewart, Jen Ponce
Room: Tuscany 8
Rehumanizing Long Term Recovery: Centering Survivor-Determined Measures of Success
Speakers: Nyla Howell, Julia Frank
Room: Tuscany 9
The Continuity You Can’t Download: Practicing Mentorship as Leadership
Speakers: Emily Kukulies
Room: Tuscany 10
Building the Next Generation of Disaster Data Tools: How Louisiana VOAD Is Developing Innovative Technologies to Improve Disaster Response
Speakers: Andrew Holbein
Room: Tuscany 11
“Cast a Wider Net!”: How Collaboration with Non-Traditional and Traditional Partners Enhanced Community Recovery
Speakers: Janna Bowman, Alexander Falcone
Room: Tuscany 12
11:15 am – 12:45 pm
Networking Lunch
Room: Tuscany 1-4
12:45 pm – 1:45 pm
Breakout Session 3 – Click Here to View Session Descriptions
When the Storm Doesn’t End: Long-Term Evacuation, Relocation and Cultural Survival after Typhoon Halong (Alaska)
Speakers: Jenni Ragland, Alan Budahl, Dan Wilcox, Mary Yoder Holsopple
Room: Tuscany 5
The Future of Multi-Agency Resource Centers: Advancing Disaster Response with Fintech
Speakers: Hani Hamwi, Kirstin Trusco, Kevin Cox
Room: Tuscany 6
Engaging Youth in Disaster Management: A Hands-On Exploration of a Summer Camp in Texas
Speakers: Seth Jordan, Michelle Meyer
Room: Tuscany 7
Expanding Generosity: Building Lasting Recovery, Resilience, and Resource Strategies
Speakers: Renae Eze
Room: Tuscany 8
Advancing a Unified Vision for Community Pet Protection: The Evolving Role of NGOs in Disaster Planning, Response, and Recovery
Speakers: Susan Anderson
Room: Tuscany 9
Strategies for Effective Community Engagement and Partnerships in Disaster Recovery
Speakers: Kate Pifer, Stefanie Barnette, Jonathan Nazeer
Room: Tuscany 10
From Abstract to Action: Practical Applications of Disaster Research
Speakers: Sydney Dyck, Julie Elliot, Roni Fraser, Mary Nelan
Room: Tuscany 11
AI, Alerts, and Action: A Workshop with Google Crisis Resilience
Speakers: Katie Harris and Emily Reinstein
Room: Tuscany 12
1:45 pm – 2:15 pm
Coffee Break in Exhibit Hall
Room: Tuscany ABC
2:15 pm – 3:15 pm
Committee Meetings 3
Emotional Spiritual Care – Tuscany 6
Disaster Case Management – Tuscany 7
Disaster Health – Tuscany 8
Housing – Tuscany 9
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Breakout Session 4 – Click Here to View Session Descriptions
Frontline Responders: Community Justice Workers Leading Long-Term Disaster Recovery
Speakers: Izzy Williamson, David Bonebrake, Sarah Carver, Cher Thompson
Room: Tuscany 5
Activating Communities: Reimagining Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR) Methods for Improving Community Access and Agency
Speakers: Clinton Carlson, Rodrigo Ramirez
Room: Tuscany 6
Visionary Logistics: Securing Infant Health with Infant and Young Child Feeding Integration (The 4 C’s in Action)
Speakers: Ashley Mickelson, Melinda Delisle, Brandi Harrison, Rachel Fann
Room: Tuscany 7
Mapping Needs of Underserved Populations for Rural Resilience
Speakers: Judanne Lennox-Morrison
Room: Tuscany 8
Fighting the Fires of Wildfire Recovery
Speakers: Valerie Brown, Jeri Curry, Ian Anderson
Room: Tuscany 9
Safe, Sanitary, Secure and CHOSEN: How to Embed Survivor Choice into Disaster Programming
Speakers: Katie Mears, Race Hodges, Katharine Boyette
Room: Tuscany 10
Feeding Hope: The Hidden Impact of Disaster Feeding
Speakers: Victor Magana, Dana Reed, Kathy Clark
Room: Tuscany 11
From Crisis to Clarity: How GIS Supports Disaster Response
Speakers: Jon Pedder, Madison Musgrave
Room: Tuscany 12
Thursday, May 7
7:00 am – 12:00 pm
Reflection Room
Room: Pisa
8:00 am – 12:00 pm
Registration
Room: Tuscany Foyer
9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Exhibit Hall Open
Room: Tuscany ABC
9:00 am – 10:00 am
Coffee with Exhibitors
Room: Tuscany ABC
10:15 am – 11:15 am
Breakout Session 5 – Click Here to View Session Descriptions
Innovation in Disaster Case Management: Florida’s Combined Helene and Milton Program
Speakers: Christy Rojas, Jim O’Brien, Shannon Hagan
Room: Tuscany 5
Don’t Forget to Help the Helpers! Legal and Fundraising Support for Disaster Groups
Speakers: Kristine Hansen, Jason Susalla, Alicia Edwards, Marcus Coleman
Room: Tuscany 6
Disaster Systems in Remote America: Lessons from the Pacific, Arctic, and Caribbean
Speakers: Heidi Simpson, Noah Patton, Amelia Hoppe
Room: Tuscany 7
Getting Cash Assistance Right: From LA Wildfires to a New Vision for Domestic Cash Assistance
Speakers: George Hernandez Mejia, Bjorn Betzler, Natalie Chang, Erin Coltrera
Room: Tuscany 8
80 Years Later, Reimaging the Emergency CARE Package
Speakers: Rachel Almond, Alice Turner
Room: Tuscany 9
Stronger Together: A Community-Wide Disaster Simulation
Speakers: Alexia Nobles
Room: Tuscany 10
Better Together: How a Long-Standing LTRG from the Camp Fire Built a Collaborative Hub for Lasting Recovery
Speakers: Bruce Yerman, Aaron Singer, Theresa Azevedo
Room: Tuscany 11
Practical Climate Adaptation for VOADs in a Changing Disaster Landscape
Speakers: Katie Mears, Jono Anzalone, Lucy Cummings, Race Hodges, Raphael Osuna
Room: Tuscany 12
11:15 am – 12:00 pm
Last Look at Exhibits
Room: Tuscany ABC
12:15 pm – 1:30 pm
Plenary Luncheon
Room: Tuscany DEF
1:45 pm – 2:45 pm
Breakout Session 6 – Click Here to View Session Descriptions
The Power of Play in Disaster Recovery: Experiencing What Children Need Most
Speakers: Erin Myers, Caitlin McNamara, Carolyn Neher, Kathy Fry-Miller
Room: Tuscany 5
Information as Infrastructure: Redefining How Communities Access Help Before, During, and After Disaster
Speakers: James Collins, Heather Black, Marcus Coleman, Alex Schwab
Room: Tuscany 6
Reimagining Disaster Relief Through Small Business Support
Speakers: David Nelson, Kat Latham, Leslie Dalton
Room: Tuscany 7
A New Vision for Collaboration: Reshaping State and VOAD Partnership for Recovery (A Case Study Discussion)
Speakers: Christine Heyser, Karl Jones, Staci Ferreira
Room: Tuscany 8
BE READY: Visionary Disaster Cooking & Community Feeding Models for the Next Era of Crisis Response
Speaker: Sinnidra Taylor
Room: Tuscany 9
The Power of Stories in Navigating Change: How MDS Used Personas in Updating its Volunteer Software
Speakers: Josh Carson, Jordan Kauffman
Room: Tuscany 10
EMAC for Volunteer and Donations: How VALs Deploy, Integrate, and Serve Across State Lines
Speaker: Christy Rojas, Cari Leidholt, Jody Dickhaut, Kasey Fox
Room: Tuscany 11
Forging Cross-Sector Partnerships: Helping Mothers and Babies in Emergencies
Speakers: Rachel Almond, Kasey Rivas
Room: Tuscany 12
3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Cheers to 2027!
Room: Tuscany 1-4