Workshops

Professional Development Series

Empower yourself with innovative tools, actionable strategies, and insights from national subject matter experts and some of the Y’s most dynamic leaders.

The Professional Development Series will empower you with innovative tools, actionable strategies, and insights from national subject matter experts and some of the Y’s most dynamic leaders.

Each 75-minute workshop aligns with our learning themes (Leadership Excellence, Organizational Excellence, Board Excellence, Operational Excellence, Creating Connection, Celebrating Legacy, Leading Practices, Multicultural Experience at GA, Innovative Leadership, and TED-style seminars) and is designed to spark inspiration and equip you with skills to take back to your Y.

Attendees can select workshops from various themes to build a personalized GA experience.

Leadership Excellence Sessions

Workforce Strategies for the Future

Explore how to honor your Y’s legacy while embracing new ideas that draw in mission-driven talent. This session will guide participants in shaping a thoughtful, future-focused approach to leadership and recruitment. You’ll leave with a practical action plan designed to strengthen your team and sustain organizational momentum.

Navigating Collaborative Boundaries

Discover practical ways leaders can dissolve silos and strengthen collaboration across teams, departments, and partner organizations. This session will highlight strategies that create alignment, improve communication, and build the kind of relationships that move our work forward together.

Building Capacity to Face today’s Complexity

Center for Creative Leadership
This session explores why expanding how leaders think matters and how it transforms leadership impact.

Leading Through Change

Join a dynamic session that reconnects leadership with the Christian-rooted principles that shaped the early YMCA. Blending spiritual insight with practical tools, this session will help leaders strengthen self-awareness, navigate conflict with confidence, empower their teams, and build resilient communities that reflect the Y’s deepest values.

Organizational Excellence Sessions

Elevating the Organizational Excellence Assessment (OEA)

Discover how to use the Organizational Excellence Assessment as a strategic tool for driving continuous improvement and impact.

Building the Foundations of Real Estate

With more than 2,500 centers and 250 overnight camps nationwide, YMCAs serve communities through spaces designed for connection, learning, and well-being. As buildings age and community needs shift, new opportunities emerge to modernize, expand, and strategically strengthen real estate portfolios to support greater reach and impact. This session provides an accessible overview of approaches and frameworks that help Ys manage their assets effectively and cultivate transformative community projects.

Board Excellence Sessions

Power in Philanthropy

Lilly School of Philanthropy
Discover ways to elevate your board’s role in philanthropy by helping them move with clarity, confidence, and shared purpose. This session will highlight practical strategies that strengthen alignment, deepen partnership, and turn collective vision into meaningful action.

Leading on Boards with Purpose and Passion for Community Impact

Holly Robinson Peete
Learn practical approaches to strengthen governance and empower boards to lead with vision and heart.

Becoming a Purpose-Driven Board

Board Source
Participants will gain insights into how boards can shift from fiduciary oversight alone to becoming strategic partners in advancing mission and values.

Modernizing Governance for the Y Movement

This workshop explores how the Y Movement is reimagining governance and decision-making by embracing co-creation and collaborative leadership. Participants will learn about innovative approaches that are designed to foster agility and create shared ownership—empowering Ys to tackle today’s challenges together.

Amplifying Your Board Governance

This workshop equips leaders with innovative strategies to recruit next-generation board members, design agendas that spark generative thinking, and transform reluctant fundraisers into mission-driven storytellers. Discover practical tools to move beyond “business as usual” and create a board culture that drives impact and inspires action.

Operational Excellence Sessions

A Story of Vision and Excellence in Small & Mid-size Ys

Through compelling small and mid-size Ys stories and practical strategies, participants will learn how vision and excellence can thrive in an organization of any size.

Creating Connection Sessions

Building Bridges and Belonging

Elisa Juarez
Learn strategies that deepen relationships, foster welcoming environments, and spark the kind of meaningful engagement that strengthens teams and uplifts communities.

Every Shot: Growth & Practices that Leads to Excellence

David Hopla
Learn how the principles behind perfecting every shot translate into personal growth, leadership, and high performance—on and off the court.

Leadership Lessons Through Basketball

See how the discipline behind mastering every shot can fuel personal growth, sharpen leadership, and elevate performance both on and off the court.

Fostering Belonging

What if the real question shaping your YMCA’s future isn’t about the next task, but about the kind of leaders and communities we’re becoming? This session invites you to explore how nurturing a deep sense of belonging strengthens mission, elevates performance, and helps Ys grow into places where everyone can thrive.

Celebrating Legacy Sessions

Living in History

Ryan Bean
This session traces the journey from a humble 1844 prayer gathering in Victorian London to our 175th anniversary celebration of the YMCA in America. Together, we’ll explore the history we’ve inherited and consider how those early roots continue to shape who we are and how we lead today.

Social Capital: Building Stronger Communities

Richard Reeves
Explore strategies to foster trust, connection, and collaboration that drive belonging and resilience. Learn how investing in relationships can create lasting impact for individuals and the Movement.

The Heart Lens of Leadership

Gain practical strategies that help you build stronger connections, communicate with clarity, and lead with courage through times of change.

Leading Practices Sessions

Strengthening Financial Acumen

Erin Lowry
Not sure where to start when it comes to building long-term financial stability? You’re not alone. Join this session for a practical, energizing conversation about taking control of your financial future and laying the groundwork for lasting independence.

Connecting Camp Leadership and Association Leadership

Explore how aligning camp leadership with association priorities creates a unified vision for impact. This session offers practical strategies to strengthen collaboration, share resources, and build a seamless leadership approach that benefits the entire organization.

Value and Pricing: Membership, Afterschool, Overnight Camp

This session will cover best practices for aligning pricing with community needs, demonstrating impact, and ensuring accessibility while sustaining financial health.

Multicultural Experience at General Assembly Sessions

Using Signals Today to Shift for the Future

Wayne Pan
Signals of change are essential to futures thinking, helping leaders spot emerging shifts before they become disruptions. Yet in a world overflowing with information, it can be hard to know what truly matters. In this session, you’ll learn the fundamentals of identifying meaningful signals and get hands-on practice separating what’s real from the noise.

Leadership as an Art Form

Like art, leadership evokes emotion, provokes thought and inspires transformation. This presentation invites the audience to view leadership as transformational, highly creative and human centered.

How to Stay Relevant

In a rapidly changing landscape, CEOs are called to lead in ways that go well beyond strategy and financial performance. Staying genuinely connected to your organization, your community, and your team is essential for meaningful impact. This exclusive session, led by a seasoned Wall Street executive, is designed for YMCA CEOs who want to deepen their leadership presence and expand their influence.

Innovative Leadership Sessions

Strategies for Leadership

Gain practical tools to lead with confidence, navigate complexity, and guide your teams toward meaningful progress. This session will help you stay grounded in times of change while inspiring those around you to grow and excel.

Strategic Foresight in Strategic Planning

Gain practical insights to move beyond short-term thinking and create resilient plans that position your organization for long-term success.

The Power of Connection: Creating Meaningful Experiences

Discover how intentional service and thoughtful experiences can transform interactions into lasting connections. This session explores practical strategies to foster belonging, strengthen relationships, and build communities that thrive.

TED-style Seminar Sessions

Employee Engagement

Walk away with practical strategies to attract, engage, and strengthen high-performing teams—transforming purpose into performance and a strong culture into lasting impact.

The Power of Young People for the next 175 Years

This session highlights strategies for empowering young leaders, fostering belonging, and creating pathways for meaningful engagement that prepare youth for leadership roles and community impact.

Finding Balance in Life

Discover the core principles that strengthen your leadership from the inside out. This session will help you make intentional commitments, set meaningful boundaries, and move beyond the pressure of constant hurry. You’ll walk away with tools that sharpen your priorities and enhance how you communicate, connect, and create a healthy culture that drives real results.
Early Bird Special: Register by Feb. 8 to save $150!
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