Innovation Workshop

This keynote debunks common myths about innovation in the social sector, presenting a more practical and sustainable approach rooted in how genuine change unfolds. Drawing from her acclaimed work in public health and social impact, Suzanne Smith redefines innovation not as the pursuit of novel ideas or flashy projects, but as the alignment of purpose, people, and systems to create environments where creativity can flourish. Through her Social Alchemy framework, Suzanne illustrates how incremental, strategic changes – not elusive silver bullets – drive meaningful progress. Attendees will acquire valuable tools, inspiring stories, and actionable strategies to foster enduring, measurable impact.

Led by Dr. Paulson and Mindy, this session gives nonprofit leaders a clear, practical understanding of what genuine collaboration requires to drive meaningful community impact. Participants will explore the Collaboration Continuum, examine the core elements of effective multi organization work – shared purpose, clear roles, transparent communication, co design, equitable power, and continuous learning – and identify common pitfalls that hold partnerships back. Through real world examples, discussion, and a brief co creation activity, attendees will experience what strong collaboration looks like in practice and leave with actionable strategies and tools to strengthen their own collaboratives.

Led by Dr. Allicock and Dr. Malthaner, this session helps participants build strong, practical evaluation plans that clearly show who they serve, what they do, and why it matters. Using the Texas Health Community Impact and UTHealth approach, attendees will learn how to align goals, activities, and outcomes; design evaluations that fit their program’s capacity; and use simple, sustainable data collection methods and mixed methods storytelling. The session highlights how evaluation supports real time learning – not just reporting – while surfacing common pitfalls and strategies to avoid them. Participants leave with core principles for impactful evaluation and space to discuss questions and real world challenges.

Led by Andrea, this session is designed for nonprofits looking to strengthen their proposal development skills with practical, achievable strategies. Participants will learn how to clearly define the project they want to fund, create a realistic timeline and budget, and divide work efficiently across a small team. The session also covers how to identify additional funding sources, what makes a proposal competitive, and simple tips that make preparation and submission smoother. Attendees will leave with concrete steps they can take right away to begin crafting strong, fundable proposals.

Texas Health defines innovation within the Community Impact Grants program as the development and implementation of a novel process, policy, product, program, or system that leads to measurable improvements in health. Rather than supporting traditional or stand-alone services, Texas Health prioritizes bold, collaborative solutions that address the non-medical drivers of health – the social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health outcomes long before an individual enters a clinical setting. To provide clarity and inspiration for applicants, the presentation will also highlight successful examples from previous grant cycles, offering insight into Texas Health’s expectations for the upcoming 2027–2028 grant cycle and illustrating the kinds of innovative, community centered approaches most likely to drive meaningful impact.

During this hour-long session, hear from three technology leaders on how they approach innovation, discuss ideas with peers and participate in a live Q&A. From reimagining the customer journeys to using AI to increase output to adoption of new technologies, innovations range from simple to complex. Join Cody, Emily and Johna to learn how they approach innovation and practical applications.

Innovative efforts succeed or fail based on how well they are communicated. Led by Dee, this session equips leaders and teams with practical frameworks to effectively communicate innovative initiatives, so stakeholders clearly understand the change, the importance of driving it, the benefits it delivers, and the measurable impact it creates. Participants will learn how to reduce resistance, increase organizational alignment, and accelerate adoption through strategic communication.

Suzanne Smith is a trailblazer in the social sector, reimagining what’s possible at the intersection of nonprofit, government and business for nearly three decades. As the founder and CEO of Social Impact Architects, she is a sought-after educator, speaker and the author of Social TrendSpotter, a Substack for changemakers ready to lead smarter, dream bigger and accelerate the speed of social change.

Suzanne has spent her career at the forefront of game-changing social solutions. She helped scale evidence-based programs at Phoenix House and built a national state advocacy strategy for the American Heart Association. One of her greatest achievements was co-founding the Alliance for a Healthier Generation with the William J. Clinton Foundation, one of the country’s first movements focused on combating childhood obesity. Through bold ideas and practical frameworks, she helps mission-driven leaders turn vision into meaningful, lasting impact. She holds an MBA from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, where she was named a CASE Scholar. Her thought leadership has earned her the Next Generation Social Entrepreneur Award from the Social Enterprise Alliance and the Alumni Award for Exemplary Service from Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

Dr. René M. Paulson is a nationally recognized statistician and the President of Elite Research, LLC, a woman‑owned firm dedicated to helping nonprofits use data to strengthen programs and demonstrate impact. With more than 20 years of experience, she specializes in turning complex research into clear, actionable insights that support funding, storytelling, and strategic decision‑making.

As an entrepreneur and founder of PsychData.com and PhDStudent.com, Dr. Paulson brings a deep commitment to accessible, high‑quality research tools. She has presented at leading national conferences and holds an honorary Doctor of Community Leadership for her contributions to the field.

Dr. Paulson partners with nonprofits of all sizes – locally and globally – on program evaluation, outcome measurement, and community assessments, empowering organizations to communicate their results effectively and drive meaningful change.

Arminda (Mindy) Chandler is a Research & Evaluation Consultant at Elite Research, LLC, where she leads evaluation efforts for domestic and international nonprofit programs. She specializes in helping organizations strengthen strategy, design competitive grant proposals, and measure impact through clear, evidence‑based insights.

With a master’s degree in education and human development from The George Washington University, Mindy brings expertise in culturally responsive evaluation, theories of change, logic models, and outcome development. As a third‑party evaluator for federal grants, she is known for her thoughtful questions, strong synthesis skills, and actionable recommendations.

Mindy is dedicated to advancing effective and equitable practices across the nonprofit sector, partnering with organizations to build evaluation capacity, enhance learning, and support data‑driven decision‑making.

Marlyn Allicock, Ph.D., MPH, is a behavioral scientist focused on health promotion in the context of cancer prevention and control for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) and high-risk communities. She is an Associate Professor, co-founder, and investigator in the AYA STAR Lab (Scholarship, Training, and Research) in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Texas, School of Public Health. Her primary research focuses on strategies to improve nutrition, physical activity, and weight management in cancer survivors. She has extensive experience designing, conducting, and evaluating health promotion interventions across various settings.

Lauren Malthaner, Ph.D., MPH, is an epidemiologist and social scientist interested in improving outcomes in vulnerable, marginalized, and/or disadvantaged populations with a particular interest in children in foster care. She is a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Texas, School of Public Health. She has expertise in developing and conducting evaluation plans for both research and practice-based initiatives and in statistical analysis, using data to provide accurate and meaningful insights that can be used for process improvement and demonstration of impact.

Andrea Carter joined the Center for Nonprofit Management as Chief Operating Officer in January 2026, bringing more than 25 years of experience strengthening mission driven organizations and advancing community impact. Her work centers on helping nonprofits turn visionary goals into sustainable, people focused solutions. As a former Partner at Ernst & Young, she led transformation efforts that supported nonprofits and social impact organizations in expanding services, improving outcomes, and building operational resilience. Her leadership generated more than $50M in value through initiatives grounded in equity, community needs, and long term sustainability.

Following her consulting career, Andrea served as a Fractional COO for more than 10 rapidly growing nonprofits serving children, families, and communities. She enhanced operations, streamlined processes, and built capacity to strengthen organizational effectiveness. Andrea also serves on local nonprofit boards, championing mission aligned strategies that create lasting community change.

Cody Case, Partner, North America Consulting Practices and Markets Lead, has a 25-year career in enterprise transformation for major organizations in the travel, hospitality, retail energy, logistics and nonprofit industries. His current client roster includes Hilton International, Raising Cane's Restaurants and the Boston Consulting Group. Cody also leads Credera’s consulting practices in North America where he is responsible for five practice areas and nine office locations. Prior to Credera, Cody spent time in the airline and retail energy industries and graduated from Texas A&M University. Outside of work, Cody enjoys traveling with his wife and three children, mountain biking and club racing with the BMWCCA.

Emily Schulhoff, Partner, Communications Officer, is Credera’s global Chief Communications Officer. In this role, she leads the strategy, planning, and execution for global communications and oversight for regional communications. She is also Client Lead for a top North America account, bringing 20 years of technology and client service experience spanning multiple industries, including hospitality and transportation, medical, FinTech, and retail, and expertise in program leadership, organizational design and transformational change. Emily graduated from Baylor University and attended MIT Sloan for an executive certificate in strategy and innovation. She loves adventurous and international travels, reading, and quality time with her family and friends.

Johna Rutz is a Principal Architect within Technology Solutions at Credera. She brings experience in enterprise technology transformation, specializing in re-platforming systems to modern technologies while supporting organizations through change. Johna has consulted across the communications, healthcare, food and transportation industries with a current focus on modernization of legacy airline applications and data as the industry shifts towards modern retailing practices. Johna earned degrees in Computer Science and Psychology from Southern Methodist University, was born and raised in Alaska and will try almost anything once.

Dee Maddox is the Founder and Chief Excellence Officer (CEO) of DMX Consulting LLC. With over 20 years of experience in human resources, Dee empowers organizations and individuals to achieve their goals through insightful assessments, personalized coaching, and dynamic training. She is a skilled trainer, a sought-after speaker, and a frequent podcast guest. She is proud to have served as the Human Capital Team Lead for the NASA Space Shuttle Retirement and its historical impact. Dee has received numerous awards for her community service. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an MBA from George Washington University. Dee is highly regarded by her clients and colleagues for her energetic and personalized approach. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Dee lives with her family in Frisco, Texas.