B1: Candid CEO Conversation: Leadership to Weather the Federal Policy Storm

This session is reserved for only the CEO or executive director of human and social services organizations.

The human services sector stands at a breaking point. Funding cuts, regulatory uncertainty, and mounting workforce and operational pressures are converging into an existential crisis—one that threatens not only programs, but missions themselves. As CEOs, your leadership will determine whether your organization weathers this storm or becomes defined by it.

This closed-door executive briefing, led by Social Current’s Senior Director of Government Affairs, Blair Abelle-Kiser, Ph.D., will deliver a candid assessment of the policy landscape under the new administration, unpack what’s at stake for your organization, and make the case for why advocacy can no longer remain a side function. CEOs will leave with concrete strategies for aligning their boards, staff, and partners around a unified advocacy vision—and clear pathways to engage through Social Current’s collective mobilization efforts.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the current policy environment—including the most pressing federal and state challenges impacting human services operations, funding, and sustainability
• Recognize the strategic value of advocacy as a leadership and risk-management tool essential for protecting organizational capacity and long-term impact
• Identify organizational levers (governance, partnerships, communications, and data) that CEOs can activate to position their agencies as credible advocates and thought leaders
• Explore entry points for engagement with Social Current’s national advocacy network, enabling collective influence and policy visibility across the sector
• Commit to next steps for building advocacy infrastructure within their own organizations—moving from passive observation to proactive leadership in shaping the sector’s future

Presenter

Blair Abelle-Kiser
Senior Director of Government Affairs
Social Current

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