Lift Your Voice: Leading with Courage, Purpose, and Story

Posted in Announcements News Story

Join the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership on January 30th for Lift Your Voice: Leading with Courage, Purpose, and Story – a gathering of philanthropic and community partners to explore and showcase the power of storytelling in leading and driving social change.

Today’s volatile environment calls upon philanthropy and social sector leaders to lead with vision and purpose – providing a clear north star among all the uncertainty. In our urgency to respond to immediate community needs, we risk burying the lead, missing the story altogether, or underestimating the power of our voices, both individually and collectively, to center and protect the humanity of our work.  

Communicating our collective vision takes courage and during the convening, we will showcase leaders who have been unafraid to use their voice to help shift narratives on issues ranging from mass incarceration, gun violence prevention, racial justice, and health equity.

Join us on January 30th at Georgetown University to: 

  • recognize, honor, and amplify philanthropic and community leaders who are using their voice to advance social justice;
  • learn ways to create new narrative pathways and strategies for funding them; and
  • join breakout sessions to explore specific storytelling tools.
Please RSVP here for the event

Event Speakers

You will have the opportunity to engage with speakers, including:

  • Michelle Alexander, author, New York Times columnist , and civil rights leader
  • Bridgit Antoinette Evans, Chief Executive Officer, Pop Culture Collaborative
  • Richard Besser, President and CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
  • Miguel A. Santana, President and CEO, California Community Foundation
  • Rinku Sen, Executive Director, Narrative Initiative
  • Clint Smith, award winning author, poet, and teacher

Leaders of the “Tools for Action” breakout sessions include:

  • OpEds with Judy Belk, the Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership’s Waldemar A. Nielsen Philanthropy Fellow, former President & CEO of the California Wellness Foundation, and published writer and frequent contributor to The Los Angeles Times
  • Strategic Communications with Michelle Génecé Patterson, Peabody and six-time Emmy Award-winning producer and communications strategist
  • Book Writing with Minal Hajratwala, CEO, Unicorn Authors Club
  • Filmmaking with Hanh Le and Temi Bennett, Co-CEOs, iF, A Foundation for Radical Possibility
  • Podcasting with Sushma Raman, social change strategist, philanthropic leader, and human rights & justice expert

This event is designed for leaders from the nonprofit and philanthropic sector who are interested in learning how to better leverage their voice, grantmaking dollars and organizational resources in promoting their mission, community partners, and sector as a whole.

Please RSVP here for the event

Event Details

Location: McCourt School of Public Policy, 125 E Street NW, Washington, DC 20001

Date: Friday, January 30, 2026

Time: 8:00am (registration and light breakfast), program begins at 9:00am

Accommodations and Parking: Click here