Tuesday, September 15
Times and session blocks are subject to change. All times are EST. Please download the Conference App for room assignments and session information.
Community Convenings
Registration Open
Continental Breakfast
Activity Zone Open
Opening General Session & Keynote: CHANGE Traits® The Mindset and Power Skillset for Inspired Leadership Through Change
In an era where change is relentless and multifaceted, traditional leadership strategies often fall short. Leaning on her 15 years of Corporate M&A experience, Cassandra introduces the C.H.A.N.G.E. Traits®, a research-backed power skillset, designed to equip leaders with the emotional agility and practical tools needed to not just navigate but thrive through transformation.
This Experience is Built For People Leaders, HR, Organizational Design, and Transformation Professionals:
- Navigating fast-paced transformation and workforce uncertainty driven by AI, automation, and digital disruption.
- Looking to embed human resilience and agility into the core of their initiatives.
- Charged with empowering emotionally intelligent leadership at every level of the enterprise.
The Audience Will Leave With:
- An inspired perspective on the human leadership traits required to lead change in the new age of AI-powered change.
- An actionable plan to cultivate leadership behaviors that drive successful change movements.
- A renewed sense of ownership to lead with vulnerability, clarity, and inspiration-even in moments of uncertainty.
Speaker: Cassandra Worthy
Activity Zone
Coffee Break
Breakout Block 1
Speaker:
- Rosita Najmi, Micron
Speaker:
- Molly Porter, Wells Fargo Foundation
Corporate social impact leaders are trained to drive outcomes — but not always to communicate those outcomes in a way that resonates with the C-suite. The problem isn’t that our programs lack value. It’s that most of us were never given a clear framework for translating that value into language executives act on. This Learning Lab introduces a practical storytelling framework — the Executive Narrative Stack — and brings it to life through candid case studies from practitioners who have used it in real, high-stakes moments.
Attendees will hear directly from impact leaders at Toast and Braze, as well as from Pledge 1%’s Head of Marketing and Communications, whose work sits at the intersection of hundreds of corporate impact programs. Participants will then apply the framework to their own program in a facilitated peer exercise. As the tools and data available to impact leaders continue to evolve, this session also explores how benchmarking, data, and AI can accelerate the process of building a stronger narrative.
Speakers:
- Susan Robinson, Toast
- Min Yoo, Pledge 1%
- Blair Pettit Tano, Braze
- Layla Ramirez, Justworks
CSR leaders building the most engaged workforces are not doing more. They are doing less, better. They have chosen focus over breadth, place over scatter, and mission over momentum, and their employee engagement numbers prove it.
In this session, Kenrick Fraser, Chief Impact Officer at Bonterra, sits down with Laura Turner, VP and Head of Community Impact at TIAA, and Olivia Leow, VP of Community Impact at AllianceBernstein, to unpack how two very different companies built focused or place-based employee engagement programs that scaled without losing their soul. Together, these programs drove employee participation increases of 40%+, all while deepening their commitment to the communities they serve. These are practitioners who made the hard choice to say no and can tell you exactly what saying yes to focus unlocked.
Come ready to rethink what focused or place-based social impact can do for your employees, your communities, and your program’s future.
Speakers:
- Kenrick Fraser, Bonterra
- Amanda Fleising, Bonterra
- Laura Turner, TIAA
- Olivia Leow, AllianceBernstein
Speakers:
- Beth Spurgeon, PwC
- Whitley Richards, Cause Strategy Partners
- Andrea Mazie, PwC
Speakers:
- Christiane Boezio, Takeda
- Leah Lindsay, Takeda
- Chris Barr, Takeda
Lunch & Networking
Peer Group Meetings
Designed for current CSR practitioners, this peer conversation will explore how AI is shaping the work of the field. Participants will have space to share questions, early use cases, considerations, and lessons learned around AI tools, governance, efficiency, equity, storytelling, employee engagement, and more. Whether your organization is actively piloting AI or still determining where to begin, this session is designed to help practitioners learn from one another in a practical, candid environment.
Designed for current CSR practitioners working on small teams, including teams of one to three people, this session will focus on the realities of managing broad goals with limited capacity. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas around prioritization, internal influence, scaling programs, managing stakeholder expectations, and finding efficiencies without losing the human-centered nature of the work. Come ready to share what is working, where you could use support, and how other small teams are navigating similar challenges.
The ACCP Executive Network is an exclusive, invite-only forum designed for the most senior corporate social impact leaders at ACCP member companies, offering a confidential space for peers to engage, exchange strategic insights and explore emerging trends, and help drive meaningful impact across industries.
Designed for current CSR practitioners working in corporate foundations, grantmaking, and community investment, this peer conversation will focus on the strategies, structures, and decisions shaping this work. Participants may explore topics such as application processes, nonprofit partnerships, board engagement, funding priorities, trust-based practices, impact measurement, and balancing community needs with business alignment. This session is intended to create space for practical exchange, shared learning, and connection among those managing or supporting grantmaking efforts.
Designed for current CSR practitioners, this peer conversation is intended for mid-career professionals navigating career growth, role transitions, burnout, and questions about what comes next, both within and beyond the field. In a challenging and evolving landscape, this session will offer space for candid reflection, practical insight sharing, and connection with peers who may be asking similar questions about their roles, career paths, and continued growth. Participants are encouraged to come ready to share openly, listen generously, and build community with others navigating this important stage of the profession.
Designed for current CSR practitioners focused on employee volunteerism, engagement, and service programs, this peer conversation will create space to discuss what is changing in volunteerism. Participants may explore participation trends, skills-based opportunities, global or multi-site program models, internal partnerships, measurement, storytelling, and ways to make volunteer experiences meaningful for both employees and community partners. Participants are encouraged to bring questions, examples, and lessons learned to support a rich peer-to-peer conversation.
Breakout Block 2
In the immediate aftermath of disasters, philanthropic giving often surges—yet the vast majority of funding is directed toward short-term relief rather than the long, complex work of recovery. Communities, however, face years of rebuilding, particularly those already experiencing systemic inequities. This session explores how corporate and institutional funders are shifting from reactive disaster giving to intentional, long-term investment in equitable recovery. Spotlighting the Truist Foundation Western North Carolina Recovery and Resiliency Fund, and partnership with the Center for Disaster Philanthropy (CDP), this session will examine how funders are partnering with community-based organizations, centering local leadership and committing multi-year resources to support resilient recovery. Lynette Bell, Head of Truist Philanthropy and President of the Truist Foundation and Sharad Aggarwal, Vice President for Fund Management & Coalition Building, will share practical insights into how the “Truist model” was developed and implemented. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of how disaster philanthropy can evolve beyond one-time grants toward sustained partnerships that strengthen communities long after media attention fades. Through candid discussion, attendees will learn how to design disaster-related funding strategies that align with broader corporate citizenship priorities—while advancing resilience and long-term impact.
Speakers:
- Sara Manning, Truist Financial Corporation
- Sharad Aggarwal, Center for Disaster Philanthropy
As business priorities, employee expectations, and community needs evolve, yesterday’s community impact strategy may no longer deliver today’s results. In this session, discover how one organization transformed its approach by redefining strategic focus areas, streamlining nonprofit partnerships, strengthening Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) alignment, and engaging a remote workforce as a powerful driver of impact. Through candid lessons learned, attendees will explore how to recognize when it’s time to pivot, build enterprise-aligned priorities, balance compliance with community outcomes, and activate employees in meaningful ways. Interactive discussion and peer exchange will help participants apply these concepts to their own organizations. Attendees will leave with practical frameworks and implementation strategies to refresh community impact programs that create measurable value for both the business and the communities they serve.
Speakers:
- Natonya Harbison, Pathward
- Catherine McGlown, Pathward
For years, nonprofits have approached AI cautiously—often viewing it as experimental, inaccessible, or misaligned with mission‑driven work. Today, that narrative has shifted dramatically. In just the past few years, GitHub has seen a 600% increase in nonprofits proactively reaching out for access to AI tools, signaling a clear inflection point in how the sector views artificial intelligence. This session explores what changed, why it changed, and what it means for the future of nonprofit work highlighting how AI is now being used to accelerate development, scale impact, and enable small teams to build tools that were previously out of reach.
Attendees will hear firsthand how nonprofits are using AI in practical, innovative ways; how access models, cost reduction, and tooling have unlocked adoption; and where the next phase of AI‑enabled nonprofit transformation is headed. The session balances optimism with realism, addressing both opportunities and responsible considerations as AI becomes core infrastructure for the social sector.
Speaker:
- Sid Espinosa, GitHub
When a company moves from public to private, shifts its workforce across the globe, and changes leadership, Corporate Citizenship is often the first thing to lose its footing. Join Nielsen’s Andrea Bertels and Shannon Coyne Rosado for a candid look at how they didn’t just maintain—but grew—employee community engagement from an 18% low to over 42% amidst transformation across Nielsen. This interactive session dives into the “Nielsen Playbook” for cultivating strong volunteer growth in emerging markets like Mexico and India, launching low-cost grantee capacity-building pilots to support nonprofits through times of change, and securing leadership buy-in for a new Foundation strategy framework. Through a rapid-fire peer coaching exercise rooted in design thinking, attendees will move beyond “admiring the problem” to generating real-time solutions for their own organizational shifts. Leave with a framework to keep your purpose steady when the ground beneath you is shifting.
Speakers:
- Shannon Coyne Rosado, Nielsen
- Andrea Bertels, Nielsen
Speakers:
- Abbey Sladick, Priority Health
- Corinne Graper, The Uplift Agency
- Jennifer McFarren, Navy Federal Credit Union
- Sibylle Abizaid, The Uplift Agency
Speaker:
- Aylin Oncel, Goodstack
Activity Zone
Coffee Break
Plenary Session: Rethinking CSR Strategy in a Time of Pressure and Possibility
CSR leaders are navigating a new level of pressure, including shifting business priorities, tighter resources, evolving expectations, and increased demand to demonstrate measurable value. This opening plenary grounds the conference in today’s reality by exploring how leading organizations are reassessing, refining, and realigning their social impact strategies to remain effective and future-ready.
Hear how companies are making difficult decisions to pivot or sunset programs, strengthen alignment with enterprise goals, and build cross-functional partnerships that drive both business and community outcomes. You’ll leave with a clearer perspective on how to position CSR as a strategic function that delivers value, not just impact.
Speakers:
- Christina Fagan, ACCP
- Aldustus (A.J.) Jordan, Vanguard
- Anita Whitehead, KPMG Foundation
- Deidra Parrish Williams, ACCP