Our first Leadership Summit in 2024 was so well received that we've expanded it to a day and a half!

The goal of the Ohio Fed Leadership Summit is to create an opportunity for leaders in animal welfare in Ohio to come together and talk about what is happening in their communities, discuss ways they are currently addressing community needs, share ideas, and, hopefully, lay the groundwork for future collaborations. 

Day One will feature a 2-hour session that is sure to resonate with our leaders around the state: Drama + Tough Talk: Why Drama Happens at Work and How to Stop it, For Real. Is drama wasting your emotional energy and contributing to an unhappy group dynamic? Let's talk about it and how to address it with your team (see details below). After the session enjoy a relaxing evening with other leaders from around the state. 

Day Two will be structured with three blocks of time for breakout sessions and share-outs. Each breakout session will offer attendees a choice of three different topics chosen from topics submitted by the registrants in advance. The sessions will be a free-flowing exchange of ideas where you can safely share your thoughts and ask questions among supportive colleagues.

Come prepared with things your organization has tried and questions you have for colleagues. These conversations will be led by the attendees—our moderators will be there only to ensure everyone can share and to help keep the conversations going. The key points of each breakout session will be captured and shared with all attendees. 

REGISTRATION IS:

• Limited to 50 attendees from Ohio Fed Member Organizations (non-members: see below about our wait list)

• Open to leaders who hold positions within the top two levels of their organization 

• Limited to no more than two people per organization

• $125 for the Full Summit; $50 for Thursday, May 15 ONLY; or $99 for Friday, May 16 ONLY
  

DISCUSSION TOPICS

Based on feedback from our registrants, there will be three sets of three breakout sessions on Day Two. Here are some of the topics discussed last year:

• Access to vet care
• Staff & staffing issues
• Adoptions & foster issues
• Collaborations & mentoring 
• Behavior 
• Community outreach

We need your help in selecting topics for 2025. Be sure to list the topics that you would like to discuss when registering!

AGENDA:

MAY 15, 2025

1:30 – 2:00 p.m.	Registration
2:00 – 4:15 p.m.	Drama + Tough Talk: Why Drama Happens at Work and How to Stop it, For Real Sponsored by NACA/Maddie's Is drama wasting your emotional energy and contributing to an unhappy group dynamic? The field of animal welfare is fraught with high emotion, tension, difficult situations and life and death circumstances. It’s also filled with highly sensitive, empathetic workers and volunteers. Here comes the drama! The antidote is simple: we need to share our best thinking directly with each other. It’s a simple concept, but often difficult to practice, and even harder to teach others without the right tools.  In this interactive session, Rachel DK Finney tackles how work groups make well-intended, simple mistakes that create and sustain a drama culture. We’ll discuss the biggest barriers to delivering tough messages and how to give incredibly helpful feedback. You will leave with all of the tools you need to help your team navigate difficult conversations and resolve conflict in a healthy, productive way. Rachel DK Finney is a consultant and coach specializing in nonprofit executive leadership and animal welfare. She spent 21 years leading animal welfare organizations, most recently at Columbus Humane for 16 years where she served as CEO.  A Certified Animal Welfare Administrator for 18 years, Finney was recognized as a Woman of Influence by Columbus Business First in 2023 and Nonprofit CEO of the Year by Columbus CEO in 2015. Finney describes herself as an Advantageist, or one who expands perspective to find the advantages in every difficult situation. Her mission is to champion a life worth living by modeling that life and strengthening people and organizations to disrupt ineffective systems and create meaningful change.
4:15 - 5:00 p.m.	Check in, relax and explore the lodge
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.	Mix & Mingle - light snacks and cash bar
6:30 – 7:30 p.m.	Dinner Buffet - sponsored by Ohio Animal Health Foundation

MAY 16, 2025

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.	Registration & Breakfast - sponsored by 24 Pet
9:00 – 9:10 a.m.	Welcome
9:10 – 10:00 a.m.	Plenary - Data Trends & Legislative Update
10:15 – 11:15 a.m.	Breakout Sessions
11:15 – 11:30 a.m.	Large Group Sharing
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.	Lunch Buffet - sponsored by Ohio Animal Health Foundation
12:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.	Breakout Sessions
1:45 – 2:45 p.m.	Breakout Sessions
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.	Large Group Sharing & Farewell

REGISTER

ROOM BLOCK

A small room block is available for the night of May 15, 2025, for $147 after fees and lodging tax. To check availability, please call 419-938-5411 and refer to the group code GOAWF. To avoid sales tax be sure to bring a tax exempt form when you check in!

NON-MEMBERS

If your organization is not a member of the Ohio Animal Welfare Federation, you can register for the Wait List for this event. If we can accommodate non-members, those on the waitlist will be contacted in the order they signed up. 

THANK YOU SPONSORS!

Presenting Sponsor:

Leadership Workshop Sponsor:

Lunch & Dinner Sponsor:

Breakfast Sponsor: