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2026 CEO Convening

Chicago Chicago, IL United States

October 19 – October 21

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This event is open only to the CEO or executive director of a human/social services organization.

Registration Rates

Registration must be received on or before Sept. 6 to receive the early bird rate. After that date, regular rates apply.

  • Organizations that Have Achieved COA Accreditation:
    • Early Bird Registration $595
    • Regular Registration $745
  • Impact Partners:
  • Other Organizations:
    • Early Bird Registration $795
    • Regular Registration $945

Optional Networking Activity: Gateway to The West Loop Food Tour $25

Thank you to our Local Host Sponsors for making it possible for us to maintain the same network rates as last year.

About the Event

This event will offer learning and networking tailored to CEOs and executive directors of human and social services organizations. By bringing together leaders who truly understand your day to day, it will help you share challenges, find solutions, and build community. With facilitated sessions, the event’s programming will emphasize dialogue and collaboration to identify solutions.

This year’s program will focus on timely topics in the sector including:

  • Demystifying mergers, acquisitions, and affiliations
  • Building high-functioning executive teams
  • Strengthening transparency and communications
  • Preparing for the next Congress

CEOs are invited to make new connections, deepen relationships, and grow their network of go-to colleagues.

Who Should Participate: This event is open only to the CEO or executive director of a human/social services organization.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellation by Participant: All cancellation requests must be made in writing. Conference cancellations are subject to a $100 processing fee. Cancellation requests received after Oct. 1 will not be refunded, including the optional tour. Credit toward future Social Current events is not currently possible. Notice of cancellation must be emailed to Social Current.

Cancellation by Social Current: If Social Current cancels this conference, all registration fees will be refunded in full.

Demystifying Mergers, Acquisitions & Affiliations: A Conversation with Industry Experts

CEOs, now more than ever, are faced with decisions that impact how they sustain operations that are aligned with mission, values, and revenue generation. This facilitated discussion brings together a panel of leaders with decades of experience in the mergers and acquisitions field.

The panelists will discuss a clear, values-based understanding of merger, acquisition, and affiliation pathways, including why to consider them, how to assess readiness, and how to pursue mission-aligned partnerships that strengthen organizational health and long-term sustainability. This facilitated conversation will address common myths and explore the human, cultural, and governance realities involved. This candid conversation will also create space for participants to surface real concerns and learn from peer experiences.

Session Outcomes:

  • How to confidently evaluate partnership opportunities
  • How to best align with legal and finance at the right points in the process.
  • A practical decision framework to assess readiness and lead boards, staff, and stakeholders through exploration

Presenters:

Stacy DiStefano is the founder and CEO of Consulting for Human Services (CFHS), a national strategic advisory firm known for orchestrating mission-driven nonprofit mergers, acquisitions, and affiliations across the behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities sectors.

Her career spans more than three decades, from direct care as a solution-focused therapist to executive leadership roles including vice president of innovation, COO, and chief strategy officer, where she led high-revenue, multistate service lines across behavioral health, substance use disorder, intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, and supported housing.
Today, Stacy advises CEOs and boards across the country on strategy, growth, and governance in a rapidly evolving human services landscape. Known for translating complex strategy into clear, practical action, she is a sought-after keynote speaker and board facilitator who brings equal parts candor, insight, and humor to the conversation.

Stacy also serves on the boards of Neighborhood Pharmacy and A Home Within and on the advisory boards of RxDiet and Floreo Tech. She is a fifth-year member of Chief. As a mother of a son on the autism spectrum and another in recovery from addiction, she understands these systems from more than one vantage point, a perspective that shapes everything she does.

Tine Hansen-Turton is a seasoned and successful health care and human services executive with 25 years of experience in C-suite executive leadership, serving in CEO, CSO and COO roles throughout her career in nonprofit, private, and government organizations. Most recently, she transformed a human services organization into a $500 million+ population health management organization and the first organization of its kind to provide life cycle care and integrated primary, specialty, and behavioral health care to neurodiverse people with complex medical and genetic conditions.

She has founded and led several nationally recognized health, human services, education companies and trade associations, and has secured several billion dollars in new business. She is a founder and publisher/facilitator of a social impact/innovation journal and incubator lab. She has tremendous content expertise in health care, health and human services administration, managed care, Medicaid and Medicare, public and private payment systems, disabilities and behavioral health, public and population health, and education. She has developed many innovative public and population health programs and business models throughout her career, including starting dozens of nonprofits and private businesses and organizations, such as the popular retail clinic industry association, Convenient Care Association, the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium, and the PA&NJ Health and Disabilities Consortium.

She is experienced in corporate strategy, business development, growth and operations, operational and corporate financial turnaround, start-ups, foundation management, and leadership, program implementation and scaling, as well as national and global consulting. She has created hundreds of strategic partnerships, Joint Ventures, and M&A business, including health care financing, managed care, and outcomes-driven public/private partnerships. She has served on boards of several conversion foundations. She is a seasoned expert in health care policy and regulatory development and state, federal, and global systems change. Through her leadership and expertise, she has tripled the size of all the organizations she has led and/or supported.

Currently, Tine serves as the president and CEO of Woods System of Care, which is a large population health management organization that, through its network of providers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, provides life cycle care to meet the lifelong needs of children and adults with intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A), acquired brain injuries, and /or mental health challenges who may also have complex medical and genetic conditions. In her capacity as president and CEO, she oversees more than 200 programs and 7,500 staff that serve more than 52,000 individuals. Services include, but are not limited to, population health and advocacy, comprehensive and integrated health care, K-12 education, 24/7 residential and community-based housing, adult life share, medical complex homes, workforce and day habilitation, integrated primary care, behavioral health and dental services, and case management services.

Tine also serves as the founding executive director and administrator for the Convenient Care Association (CCA), the national trade association of over 3,500 private sector retail clinics, serving 40 million people with basic health care services across the country.

Tine also teaches public and social innovations, leading nonprofits, health policy, and the social innovations lab at University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government, Social Policy and School of Nursing. She has co-authored and published eight books and is known as a serial social entrepreneur who has started several national social and public innovations in the health and human services sector. She has received numerous advocacy and leadership awards, including, but not limited to, the prestigious Eisenhower and American Express NextGen Fellowships, numerous of Business Journal and City & State awards.

Tine received her bachelor’s from Slippery Rock University, her master’s in government/public administration from University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government, and her juris doctor from Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Rich Rinaldi serves as managing director for business development and strategic growth, supporting internal administrative excellence, as well as our external Devereux Partners and Devereux Solutions offerings.

Rich supports Devereux’s growth efforts by partnering with leaders across the organization to support emerging partnership and consulting opportunities and foster innovation across the field of behavioral health.

Rich joined Devereux in 2015 and, since that time, has served in roles of increasing responsibility. In 2021, he assumed full oversight of: 1) the Project Management Office 2), New Business Development, 3) Procurement and 4) the national executive administrative assistant team. In 2025, Rich was promoted to his current role of managing director for Devereux Partners and Devereux Solutions.

Rich has earned the following degrees: Bachelor’s in business administration from Georgetown University and a master’s in business administration with a concentration in not-for-profit-management from Chaminade University in Honolulu. He holds the following professional certifications: Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP-SM), and Certified Scrum Professional – Product Owner (CSP-PO).

In addition to his work at Devereux, Rich is an adjunct professor at Wake Forest University and Villanova University, where he instructs students in project management. Previously, he served as an adjunct professor at Harcum College and was a member of the Leadership Main Line Class of 2020. He received the Philadelphia Admin Awards “Leadership Award” in 2023. Rich serves as treasurer for the Project Management Institute (PMI) – Delaware Valley Chapter, an advisory board member of group purchasing organization Vizient’s Long Term / Home Health Care advisory council, and as a board member for his local library in Narberth, Pennsylvania.

Building High Functioning Executive Teams

A strong executive team is often considered crucial to the success of any organization. This session will explore the 15-year collaboration between Mike (client) and Tony (coach) as they worked together in two different organizations. It will share the key lessons they’ve learned about building highly effective executive teams.

Session Outcomes:

  • Key strategies for hiring successfully from the start
  • Effective methods for developing senior leaders
  • Benefits of fostering a “first team” mentality
  • How to support leaders operating at the appropriate level
  • Finding the confidence needed to make difficult decisions

Presenters:

Bio coming soon.

Bio coming soon.

How CEOs Communicate to Build Agility, Resilience, and Readiness for Change

Human services CEOs are increasingly leading amid conditions they cannot fully predict or control, including funding volatility, policy shifts, workforce strain, strategic pivots, restructuring pressures, and decisions for which full implications are still unfolding. In these moments, communication becomes far more than an act of transparency. Communication becomes one of the primary ways leaders shape whether their organization becomes more adaptive or more fragile.

This interactive session, grounded in organizational psychology, leadership research, and practical executive experience, will help CEOs build skills in a more disciplined form of transparency—communication that tells the truth about the reality without reinforcing instability and that helps their staff remain flexible, engaged, and capable of responding as conditions evolve.

Session Outcomes:

  • Practical tools that can be used immediately to help staff stay grounded, responsive, and connected to mission when certainty is limited and leadership presence matters most

Presenters:

Katie is an experienced organizational effectiveness consultant whose personal mission is to create environments where both people and businesses thrive. With a background in leading transformative learning and development initiatives at Fortune 500 companies, she specializes in strengthening leadership, enhancing performance, and building workplace cultures that attract and retain top talent.

Passionate about aligning business goals with employee aspirations, Katie leverages research-backed positive psychology strategies and coaching methodologies to drive meaningful, measurable change. She is known for her ability to secure stakeholder buy-in for bold ideas and translate them into lasting impact.

Katie holds a master’s in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and is a board-certified leadership and executive coach. She lives in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with her husband Chris, their daughter Lexi, and their goldendoodle Tucker. Outside of work, she enjoys connecting with her community, skiing, and practicing yoga.

Adam Francis-Maurer is passionate about co-creating workplaces that empower individuals to do their best work and remain highly engaged. He is the CEO of Positively Partners and is one of the organization’s founding members.

Earlier in his career, Adam served as head of talent for National Heritage Academies (NHA) and as the chief talent officer for Citizen Schools. His work to develop and automate practices to attract and select teachers were recognized with an Oracle Innovation Award. Adam has led HR consulting projects for national and multinational organizations including: KIPP, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and Grant Thornton.

Adam holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was trained by Martin Seligman, the founder of the field of positive psychology. Adam’s academic research focuses on resilience, optimism, and positive affect, as positive predictors of employee performance and retention.

Adam is certified as a senior human resources professional by both the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI). He lives in Philadelphia with his husband David and their three dogs.

Networking Activity: Gateway to The West Loop Food Tour ($25) (Optional)

On this tour, you’ll escape the crowds of downtown and get a glimpse of daily life in Chicago, all while having some amazing bites. You’ll sample everything from artisan chocolate to a typical Roman street food snack. While you explore fascinating areas and offbeat landmarks, your expert guide will educate and entertain you with stories and insights into the West Loop’s culture, architecture, and history.

This three-hour tour will stop at six locations for food and drinks. It will require a .5 mile walk from Catalyst Ranch to the starting location, plus an additional .6 miles of walking during the tour. Participants will be responsible for their own transportation back to the hotel at the end of the tour.

Thank you to Devereux for sponsoring this activity and helping to underwrite a portion of the registration fee.

Preparing for the Next Congress: A Blueprint for the Future

Regardless of the midterm elections results, there are real opportunities for the human services sector to rewrite our narrative and move past antiquated practices with a new Congress. To ensure that Social Current is poised to lead an informed effort to reshape the human services ecosystem, work is underway to conceptualize a sector that is adequately and appropriately resourced and to identify the necessary steps to get us there. Together with our network, local communities, and partners, Social Current is developing a roadmap with actionable strategies that a new Congress or administration could use to create a system that is truly responsive and adaptive to the diverse needs of communities nationwide.

In this session, Social Current’s President and CEO Jody Levison-Johnson will be joined by Social Current’s Senior Director of Government Affairs Blair Abelle-Kaiser and Board Chair Tracy Evans, to discuss and hear input on an evolving blueprint for the future and the strategy to leverage our collective voice to create a system that is responsible for and responsive to all of US.

Presenters:

Blair Kiser, Ph.D., joined Social Current in 2022 after working in health policy on Capitol Hill, the nonprofit sector, and as a biomedical researcher. Most recently, Blair served as director of government relations and advocacy for NephCure Kidney International.

During her time in public service, she served as a professional staff member of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis. She led a corporate investigation regarding insider trading and financial improprieties, conflicts of interest associated with Operation Warp Speed’s leadership, and scientific information politicization. Prior to joining the Select Subcommittee, she worked for Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), where she served as a health policy fellow. In this role, she led a range of legislative and oversight efforts involving public health and health care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked with several community hospice advocacy organizations and a Republican office to help craft the bipartisan COVID-19 Hospice Respite Care Relief Act of 2020.

Prior to public service, Blair spent several years as a medical research scientist on several industry and NIH-funded projects. Her work focused on developing research projects and clinical trials to improve the lives of African Americans with Sickle Cell Disease. She earned a doctorate in biomedical science from Morehouse School of Medicine in 2017 and a bachelor’s in biology from the University of Kentucky in 2011.

Tracy Evans is the founder and principal of Cornerstone Solutions. She is an experienced CEO and keynote speaker and the author of American Welfare: Reclaiming the Dream for All of U.S., a forward-looking examination of how Americans understand poverty and “welfare,” and why narrative change is essential to building systems that expand belonging, stability, and opportunity.

She approaches human services as democratic infrastructure—the practical supports that help communities thrive and strengthen the health of our democracy.

Internationally recognized for her expertise in the human services sector, Tracy is a bridge builder and strategic collaborator who has worked with federal policymakers, state and local leaders, and community partners to modernize how public systems support children, families, and communities. She has testified before Congress and served on numerous national advisory committees and governing boards.

Tracy speaks and writes on narrative change, adaptive leadership, public–private partnerships, public policy trends, and systems transformation. She currently serves as chair of the Social Current Board of Directors and is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. She also co-hosted two seasons of the podcast, Our Dream Deferred, which explored the forces that shape and distort American society.

Previously, Tracy served for 13 years as president and CEO of the American Public Human Services Association, leading its national network through major disruptions in the economy, public health, and governance while advancing reforms across child welfare, child care, food and nutrition supports, and economic mobility. She also served as a senior advisor to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on disaster response and long-term recovery, and as the director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security. Tracy began her career as a litigator at Steptoe LLP and holds a bachelor’s in political science and a juris doctor from the University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law.

Jody Levison-Johnson is a licensed clinical social worker with nearly 30 years of experience in the field of human services.

Jody is a longstanding champion for systems change that results in the ability for individuals and communities to thrive. She is deeply committed to advancing policy that ensures equitable access to quality services and supports. Previously, Jody served as the assistant vice president of practice improvement at the National Council for Behavioral Health, where she oversaw the organization’s consulting portfolio and a large, privately funded adolescent mental health initiative.

She has also served as the chief clinical officer for a multistate children’s care management organization, as the deputy assistant secretary of the Louisiana Office of Behavioral Health, and as the vice president of Coordinated Care Services Inc. (CCSI). At CCSI, a nonprofit management and consulting services organization, she was responsible for all service quality, system development, and evaluation activities including oversight of the county administered children’s mental health system. Her experiences leading system reform efforts across the country prompted her interest in the environmental contexts that surround deep change in social and public systems.

Jody holds a master’s in social work from Syracuse University and a master’s and doctorate in leadership and change from Antioch University.

Monday, Oct. 19

5-6:30 p.m. – Welcome Reception

Tuesday, Oct. 20

8:15-9 a.m. – Breakfast
9-9:45 a.m. – Welcome and Introductions
9:45 a.m.-Noon – Demystifying Mergers, Acquisitions & Affiliations: A Conversation with Industry Experts
Noon-1 p.m. – Networking Lunch
1-3 p.m. – Building High Functioning Executive Teams
3-6:30 p.m. – Optional Networking Activity: Gateway to The West Loop Food Tour
6:30 p.m. – Dine with Your Peers or Evening on Your Own

Wednesday, Oct. 21

8:15-9 a.m. – Breakfast
9-9:30 a.m. – Welcome to Day Two
9:30 a.m.-Noon – How CEOs Communicate to Build Agility, Resilience, and Readiness for Change
Noon-1 p.m. – Networking Lunch
1-2:30 p.m. – Preparing for the Next Congress: A Blueprint for the Future
2:30-2:45 p.m. – Closing

Meeting Location

Catalyst Ranch
656 W. Randolph, Ste. 4E
Chicago, IL 60661

View parking information and directions.

Welcome Reception

Blue Door Kitchen & Garden (0.3 miles from Claridge House Chicago)
52 W. Elm St.
Chicago, IL 60610

Thank you to ITPI Group, parent of The EHR Edge and enkompas Technology Solutions, and Wipfli Advisory LLC for sponsoring this reception.

Lodging

Participants may stay at the hotel of their choice. Social Current staff will be staying at:

Claridge House Chicago, Tapestry Collection by Hilton (2.2 miles from Catalyst Ranch)
1244 N Dearborn Pkwy
Chicago, IL 60610

Social Current has secured a very limited number of rooms for $259-$269 depending on room type, plus applicable taxes. Once theses rooms are sold out, it is not likely we will be able to secure more. To receive the discounted rate, book online or call the hotel at 312-787-4980 by Sept. 6 and mention the event name: Social Current 2026 CEO Convening.

Parking: The parking garage next door is independently operated and recently transitioned to self-park, reducing availability. Claridge House does not offer onsite parking. We strongly recommend reserving parking in advance using this LAZ Parking link or checking Spot Hero for nearby options. If you use the LAZ Parking link to reserve parking at 1250 N. Dearborn, you are allowed in/out privileges.

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