Hope Ignites Leadership Gathering 2026

Executive directors, board members, program leads, and development/marketing leads are encouraged to attend.

April 14 – 15 will be a retreat for Executive Directors. Program leads and development/marketing leads will meet on April 16 – 17.

Hope Ignites Network Headquarters will cover on-the-ground expenses for three team members and one board member from each affiliate.

Dress for the sessions is Business Casual.

Dress for the Excellence Awards is Cocktail.

The 2026 Hope Ignites Leadership Gathering is a time to come together as a community — strengthen ourselves, our ties, and our mission.

We will explore leadership and well-being, caring for mind, body, and soul in demanding roles, and engage in how AI and the changing nature of work are shaping how we serve scholars. Alumni stories will ground us in lived experience and long-term impact.

We will also focus on growth across the network and on building academic and post-secondary pathways that support lasting success for young people.

Most importantly, this gathering creates space to reflect, reconnect, celebrate the remarkable progress across Hope Ignites, and move forward with shared clarity and purpose.

3 PM
General Conference Guest Arrivals & Hotel Check-in
Check-in at Residence Inn-Clayton

4 PM – 5:30 PM
Affinity Group Connection: Development & Marketing and Program
Meet with your group for conversation and brainstorming

6 PM – 8 PM
Welcome Reception with Food, Cocktails
Hope Ignites St. Louis, 8027 Elinor Ave. Richmond Heights, MO 63117

6 AM – 8:30 AM
Breakfast
Complimentary hot breakfast served daily in the dining room.

8:30 AM – 10 AM
Leading the Next Chapter Together
Kristin Ostby, President & CEO of Hope Ignites, will lead a state of the organization briefing followed by breakout discussions.

10 AM – 12 PM
Program Innovation and Impact
Introduced by Erin Beezley, Director of Experiential Learning & Youth Development, Hope Ignites
An interactive session led by Lauren Schwartz, Bellwether Education Partners, that will spotlight high quality affiliate programming as we solidify the essence of the distinctive and transformative Hope Ignites program model. All attendees to join this session.

12 PM – 1 PM
Lunch

1 PM – 2 PM
Leading Excellent Teams in a Shifting Landscape
Mel Burden, Vice President of People & Culture at Hope Ignites introduces attorney and Network Board Member Colette Kopon to lead this session for supervisors across the Network.

2:30 – 4 PM
Learning from Our Peers: Concurrent Sessions for Program, Development and Marketing, and Boards
Three concurrent breakout sessions focusing on either programming or development and marketing.
Marketing & Advancement: Keep, Grow, Reconnect: Mastering Donor Retention & Mid-Level Strategy led by Bill Fronczak, Dana Nichols and Jenny Starkey
Programming: Preparing Scholars for Post-secondary Success led by James Williams and the Mission Effectiveness Team
Board Members: Strengthening our Connections: Network & Affiliate Board Members will meet to share best practices for board leadership led by Kristin Ostby, President & CEO.

5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Excellence Awards
Fair Mercantile Building, 5257 Shaw Ave, 2nd floor
Cocktails from 5:30 to 6:30 at Hope on the Hill (Ste. 202), with awards dinner beginning at 6:30 in the D’Amici Room (Ste. 200). Cocktail attire.

9 PM – 10:30 PM
After Party: Music & Dancing
Residence Inn

6 AM – 8 AM
Breakfast
Complimentary hot breakfast served daily in the dining room.

8 AM – 9 AM
Prompt, Play, Reflect: All in Our Daily Work
AI is already part of the tools we use every day — and this session is about learning to make it actually work for us. Through hands-on scenarios using Microsoft Copilot, we’ll work together in small groups to practice prompting, reflect on what we learned, and leave with the confidence to keep experimenting on our own. This session is led by Pete Schweiss, Director of Technology Services, Hope Ignites with Scenario Facilitators: Xiá Simmons, Director of Grants & Stewardship, Gigi Burgos, Program Data Coordinator, Ashley Scoville, Director of Finance and Accounting, and Erin Beezley, Director of Experiential Learning & Youth Development

9 AM to 10:30 AM
AI and the Future of Work
A forward-looking session exploring the future of work and its implications for Hope Ignites and the scholars we serve, including emerging trends, skills, and opportunities shaping the years ahead. The panel will be moderated by Laura Stevens, Sr. Director of Organizational Impact, Hope Ignites. Panelists include: Misty Jones, President & CEO, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, Bob Olwig, EVP, Global Partner Alliances at World Wide Technology, Inc., Dr. Jonathan Solomon, Partnership Director, Mainstay

10:30 AM – 12 PM
Ignited for Life: Carrying it Forward
Hope Ignites alumni share insights from their experiences and discuss how to meet the challenges and opportunities of the evolving work landscape. The panel will be moderated by Kristin Ostby, President & CEO of Hope Ignites. Panelists include: Serena Cooper, Alumna, Hope Ignites Baltimore, Rebecca Molina, Alumna, Hope Ignites Phoenix, IvyAnna Peoples, Alumna, Hope Ignites Detroit, Brandie Radilla Galicia, Alumna, Hope Ignites Colorado, Haile Hantal, Alumnus, Hope Ignites St. Louis, and Seth Akakpo-Lado, Alumnus, Hope Ignites St. Louis

12 PM – 1 PM
Lunch & Conference Departures
Grab & go box lunch. Eat at hotel or take to-go.